Valentin Vacherot entered the Shanghai Masters qualifying draw as an alternate! World no. 204 provided his best tennis in the most notable Asian event, toppling eight rivals and reaching the title clash.
Valentin wrote Monegasque tennis history, becoming the lowest-ranked player in a Masters 1000 final and earning a chance to fight for a notable trophy against his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech.
Vacherot stunned injured Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-final, celebrating his career-best moment. For the 26-year-old, the magnitude of the moment truly sank in only after the encounter.
Messages from family, friends and fans back home flooded in, turning his achievement into a national celebration for one of the world's smallest countries. For a country with not many athletes, Vacherot's meteoric success has instantly become one of its greatest sporting stories.
Valentin never got a chance to face Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. Thus, his first experience against Novak Djokovic made the moment even more special for world no. 204.
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While reaching the final of a notable event, Vacherot's incredible run inspired a new generation of players from a small nation, which is investing in future.
Whatever happens against Rinderknech, Valentin's brilliant Shanghai campaign has already written a golden chapter in Monaco's sporting history, and things could become even brighter on Sunday morning.
"To be honest, I have many emotions. It took me a bit to recover, but when I entered the locker room and turned on my phone, it was quite hard not to cry, just because of the messages from everyone in Monaco, my friends and family.
It's incredible. I have probably broken records with my run. Monaco is one of the smallest countries in the world. We do not have many athletes, and seeing all the joy I bring back home is what fills my heart.
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I missed playing against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal due to my ranking. Thus, facing Novak Djokovic and sharing the court with him felt incredible," Valentin Vacherot said.
