Paris Masters 1000: “A balance linked to very high level math”… Qualified in the semi-finals, Van Assche with a big head

From our special correspondent at the Plénitude Arena,

It’s a math operation that shouldn’t give you too much trouble. Qualified for the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 in Paris this Friday, after his solid victory against Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata (6-4, 6-7, 7-5), Luca Van Assche will be at least 34th player in the world on Monday. He who was 238th in the ATP rankings at the end of 2025 will therefore have gained (drumroll)… 204 places in one year. A subtraction that Van Assche could almost do straight out of his mother's womb.

Because the good surprise of this Parisian week has maths in its skin, and even more than that. In addition to his career on the circuit, Van Assche is embarking on a second year of bachelor's degree in the Mido course (Mathematics and Informatics of decision-making and organizations) at the University of Paris-Dauphine-PSL PSL. On the program, linear algebra, probability, mathematical analysis... Everything that burns your brain in less than two minutes. Not for him.

Van Assche at one of the best universities in the world

“Even if I win 50 Grand Slams, I won’t be able to play until I’m 60, that’s why I continue to study math, and I like it. It’s difficult to reconcile the two, but for the moment I’m doing well, so that’s cool,” he said before the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah in 2024. And, if he’s doing so well, it’s because Luca Van Assche doesn’t have to show up in the lecture halls every day. It is part of the university’s “Talents course”, a program which allows high-level athletes to combine their passion with excellent studies.

“We are at a very selective university, which is one of the five best in the world,” explains Stéphane Boutillier, PE teacher, high-level sports referent at Dauphine PSL University. With the Talents course, the first two years are spread over three years. But when we are on someone who has already arrived at an international level, like Luca, we can go much further and spread it out over much more time. »

Thanks to this program, the university provides Luca Van Assche with professors who teach him according to his availability. “Afterwards, he takes the exams in the same way as the others, even if it is not at the same time,” indicates Stéphane Boutillier. This is not at all the American way where we will adapt the exams to the level of the student. There, when he graduates with his Dauphine degree, he will have the same academic level as the others, with the same exams. »

“My schedule is adapted to my career on the circuit,” explains Van Assche. Between tournaments and training, I follow my lessons online, wherever tennis takes me. » Which can cause some funny situations to say the least. “In the morning, at 7 a.m., we were at the CNE (FFT National Training Center), where we gave him a test until 9 a.m.,” explains the professor. Behind, there is a taxi which took him to Gare du Nord to go to Wimbledon. At 10:30 a.m. he had his train. »

“A balance linked to math”

But why does Luca Van Assche put himself through so much suffering? Because he simply needs it. In the discussion he had with the player and his parents before joining Dauphine, Stéphane Boutillier saw that the French tennis player had this need to be intellectually challenged and occupied: “Luca needs this balance which is linked to math and very, very high level math. He needs intellectually to have a break from sport by pursuing higher level studies. »

And even when tennis was going less well last year, for him who was quickly in the top 100 before tumbling beyond 300th place in the world, he did not abandon this double journey. “His big strong point, like tennis, is his ability to work,” continues Boutillier. He's a worker. He is someone who does not shy away from the task. » And which will even require additional work during the summer, never stunned by numbers and equations with several unknowns.

All the news from the Masters 1000 in Paris

This is even starting to have an impact on the pitch, as Van Assche looks more and more into the statistical analyzes of his matches. “He likes to think and analyze things, but this must not be to the detriment of using his physical qualities, which are at least as good as his intellectual abilities,” says his coach Sébastien Villette in L’Equipe. It doesn't always help to think too much. Luca could look for solutions to problems that didn't exist. » Typically the behavior of a math geek.