Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner & Holger Rune are the reference for all of us: Luca Van Assche

18-year-old French tennis player Luca Van Assche has expressed his admiration for fellow young stars Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Holger Rune.

Van Assche, who has two ATP Challenger titles to his name, hopes to follow in the footsteps of the trio.

In a recent interview with Ubitennis, the Frenchman stated that Rune, Alcaraz and Sinner are currently the best young talents in the sport and serve as a reference for all other youngsters such as himself.

"It would be great if I could be one of them, but at the moment Sinner, Alcaraz and Rune are the best young players out there and are the reference for all of us," Luca Van Assche said

Despite the competition, Van Assche is determined to keep improving and hopes to compete against Sinner, Alcaraz, and Rune soon.

"I hope I can play against them and even beat them in the future. My ultimate goal is to compete against the best players in the world and win," he added

Van Assche's statement comes in the wake of a series of impressive performances by the trio. Alcaraz became the youngest World No. 1 in ATP history last year and won his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open, while Sinner, who has reached the final of the ongoing 2023 Miami Open, has been touted as a future Grand Slam winner by several pundits.

Rune, meanwhile, won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Paris Masters last year and broke into the top 10.

Carlos Alcaraz looks forward to continue rivalry with Jannik Sinner after Miami Open fireworks

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the 2023 Miami Open

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner put on yet another spectacular display of tennis at the 2023 Miami Open, with Sinner coming out on top in a grueling three-set match in the semifinals. Despite falling short of his goal of winning the Sunshine Double, Alcaraz remained optimistic about the future of his career and the possibility of an extended rivalry with Sinner.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, the teenager was already looking ahead, stating his ambition to claim the Indian Wells-Miami double in the future and to continue pushing himself to improve.

“Of course it's a shame, you know, but I had opportunity to get the Sunshine Double, but, I mean, I think I gonna have more years to try to get it. But all I can think about is like to improve my level to beat Jannik. Yeah, for me is just lost a semifinal of a tournament,” Carlos Alcaraz said.

They have already had several epic battles in their young careers, including at the 2022 US Open, where Alcaraz prevailed in an epic five-setter in the quarterfinals before claiming his first Grand Slam title later that week. The head-to-head between the duo is currently tied at 3-3.