The flag next to his name on the ATP website is that of France, while the city of birth printed on his passport is Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, a Belgian municipality of around 50,000 inhabitants in the Brussels region. Nevertheless the name of Luca Van Assche, one of the new faces of French tennis ready to take the court at the Next Gen ATP Finals, betrays Italian originswhich are confirmed when it is discovered that the three brothers are called Sofia, Elisa and Paolo. The common thread of the story is mother Patriziaa native of Bergamo who emigrated to Belgium after meeting Arthur, Flemish, manager of a logistics company and therefore often traveling abroad.
They fell in love, they started a family and from their love was born (also) a young racket talent who has never lived in Italy, leaving Belgium at the age of three to migrate to Paris, where he grew up and discovered tennis in a small club a stone’s throw from home. Nevertheless, The tennis player born in 2004 has a very strong bond with our town, starting with his relatives and grandmother Adelina in Colognoladistrict of the Municipality of Bergamo. “Since I was little – says Luca da Gedda – I have always visited relatives at least a couple of times a year, in the summer or during the Easter holidays. Today, traveling the world almost every week, it is more difficult for me, but I always try to find time to meet grandma at least once. It always gives me a great pleasure, and then Bergamo is a beautiful city”.
The support for Atalanta also strengthens the bond with Italy and our habits. “My grandfather was a big fan – continues – and it was he who transmitted the passion to us. I mainly support PSG, while the real fan is my brother Paolo, so much so that for his last birthday we gave him tickets for the semi-final second leg of the Europa League, between Atalanta and Marseille, in Bergamo. But At home we all follow Atalanta, even more so given the results of recent years. She plays incredible football, she has become a sight to behold”.
