© Getty Images Sport – Dean Mouhtaropoulos
Luca Van Assche is not concerned with the fact that he does not have a really strong shot in his game as the rising French star believes Novak Djokovic is the best example that being a complete player in all areas is enough to be the best tennis player in the world.
Van Assche, 19, is one of the most promising young French players. After winning three Challenger titles over the last 11 months and reaching a career-high ranking of No 63 in the world, the next step for Van Assche is to establish himself on the ATP level and start doing notable things there.
“In modern tennis, I don’t think you have to have that famous strong shot to become the best player in the world. If you analyze Novak Djokovic’s game for example, we cannot say that he has a strong shot. For me, it’s proof that you can get to the top by being complete in all areas of the game,” Van Assche told We Love Tennis.
Van Assche played against Djokovic earlier this year
In April, Van Assche competed in Banja Luka, where he beat three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in his opener to set up a Djokovic round-of-16 meeting. Although Djokovic entered the match as the absolute favorite, Van Assche didn’t go down easily as the Frenchman even won the opening set of their match.
However, Djokovic was able to regroup after losing the first set and come back to win 6-7 (4) 6-3 6-2. After the match, Van Assche earned praise from Djokovic, who admitted that the Frenchman’s game wasn’t easy to break. “He was on every single ball for a set-and-a-half until I started to get some rhythm going.
I’m happy with the way I finished the match. Of course I can always play better, but a win is a win,” Djokovic said after beating Van Assche in Banja Luka.
