Vacherot, after his milestone in Shanghai: "It's crazy to say it, but even this summer I had this tournament in mind"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 12 Oct 2025 | 15.43

Vacherot, after his milestone in Shanghai: "It's crazy to say it, but even this summer I had this tournament in mind". Photo: Gettyimages

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Valentin Vacherot is still not aware of the milestone he has achieved at ATP Shanghai 2025. The Monegasque has clinched his first ATP title in a Masters 1000 after defeating his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech (4-6, 6-3, 6-3). Additionally, he rises from 204 to number 40 in the ATP rankings, an inexplicable feat just two weeks ago.

As if that were not enough, Valentin Vacherot defeated top players like Novak Djokovic, Holger Rune, Tallon Griekspoor, Tomas Machac, or Alexander Bublik at the ATP Shanghai 2025. An extraordinary achievement for a player whose only major stage experience was a victory at the Masters 1000 Monte Carlo over JL Struff and a main draw entry at Roland Garros in 2024.

This is what Valentin Vacherot said after winning the ATP Shanghai 2025

Therefore, during the press conference after his victory, with the champion's trophy by his side, he couldn't fully grasp everything that had happened. Thus, he talked about his incredible title, his experience in China, facing his cousin, the opportunity to meet Roger Federer, and the premonition he had for this tournament after being crowned as the new emperor in Shanghai.

Nervousness was present today

"Today was a bit more special, being a final. In any tournament, playing a final is somewhat different. Arthur was on the other side of the court, my cousin. It wasn't easy dealing with that either. But I think both of us entered simply with the intention of beating each other. That's what professional tennis players do. In fact, he played better than me at the beginning. So, I am very happy to have turned the situation around."

His third set was a masterpiece

"Probably, I played my best tennis of the week in the third set. I returned almost everything. I don't know the percentage of first serves, but yes, I got most of my first serves in. I am very happy that everything went well in this last set. That was probably what I needed to win because Arthur was playing and serving very well."

Emotions ran high with his cousin Arthur Rinderknech

"I don't even understand why I'm sitting here right now. It's crazy. I mean, I think I will start realizing it in the next few days. Right now, I just want to enjoy the moment. I got very emotional on the court after the ceremony, being there with Arthur. They were incredible moments for both of us, for our family. Unfortunately, there was only one winner. But our family won, and tennis as well because the story we just wrote is amazing, in my opinion. Yes, emotions were everywhere after the match.
A tournament full of challenges from day one."

A tournament full of challenges from the start

"As many of you know, when I arrived here, I wasn't even supposed to play the tournament. I took a bit of a risk coming. I started as the 22nd alternate on the list, in the first round. I managed to get in a little over a day before it started. Challenges were present everywhere. Even in the first qualifying round, I was losing 7-6 and 4-3. I also saved a break point when trailing 4-3 in the third set in the second qualifying round. I saved break points against Bublik in the second round, after losing a set. I won six matches being down in the first set. I am so happy that sitting here right now seems surreal to me."

"I still had the small goal before coming here, to be among the top 100 by the end of the season. So, I knew it was going to be tough because we know how difficult it is even to win a Challenger. So I knew that if I wanted to be in the top 100 by the end of the season, I had to win some."

Had ATP Shanghai in mind for a few months

"It's crazy to say, but even this summer I had this tournament in mind. I knew it was the most important tournament before the end of the season, where I would have the opportunity to enter, now that there are big draws in qualifying. I knew I had the chance to get in, and if I wanted to achieve my goal of being in the top 100, I had to do well here. But, of course, I had no idea that this was what I would do here."

About having Roger Federer watching you play a final

"I'm not going to lie, after winning or losing some points, I glanced at him to see how he reacted to some of the shots. It was amazing to have him there. Whenever he was shown on screen, I think it caused more commotion than after some of the great points we played. That's how incredible and great it is for the sport, and even now, after leaving tennis for four or five years. Yesterday, I played against Novak Djokovic. Today, I met Roger Federer. All in all, it's been a crazy week," says Valentin Vacherot, who although still can't believe it, should be reminded that he is the proud champion of ATP Shanghai.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Vacherot, tras su hito en Shanghái: "Es una locura decirlo, pero incluso este verano tenía este torneo en mente"