Vacherot, a hero who returns home: "I would choose to win Monte Carlo over a Grand Slam"

Carlos Navarro | 6 Apr 2026 | 15.24

Valentin Vacherot is already a legend in Monaco. Source: Getty

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Valentin Vacherot is back home. The reception Monaco has given to its top tennis player has been that of an absolute hero: it will be the first time he competes in the ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo 2026 without needing a wild card, having rightfully earned his ticket to enjoy tennis in what has always been his home.

Valentin's journey, unlike other Monegasque players born and raised in France, leaves many traces on the courts of the Principality. He is a son born from a nation that never imagined such success, rather designed for players from all over the world to find home there; to be a prophet at home, therefore, represents the greatest motivation of his sports career.

"I would choose to win the Monte Carlo tournament over any Grand Slam." The statement may sound like hyperbole, but it only reflects the manifest sincerity of a man who still daydreams. Valentin uttered this in a podcast with the Australian Open, delving into what success would mean to him in an event where his journey will begin this afternoon.

"100%. Monte Carlo has always been my favorite week of the year. All I did was wait to play in this tournament. My brother, who was ranked around 200 for a long time, received invitations to play the tournament, and all I did was pray for the tournament week to coincide with my vacation, so I would have no problem being at the event from 9 in the morning until 7 in the evening, watching all possible matches and collecting all possible autographs (smiles). Surely Monte Carlo is my number one priority, just a step below all the Grand Slams," he confessed amidst laughter.

Vacherot arrives at the peak of his sports career: this is his story linking him to Monaco

The bond Vacherot has with this event is so special that the Monegasque cannot hide his ambitions. Anyone could call him crazy, but the feeling of playing at home, on courts he has known since childhood, makes him dream big... even thinking, why not, about winning the championship title.

"Taking the next step in my career depends on me: I must let go, go for the semifinals, the final or the title without pressure. Why not this week, at home? Not all players can say it: one of the top ten tournaments of the year is played in my home, at my club, in a place I've been since I was 6 or 7 years old. It's as if everyone is coming to my place, to the locker rooms I step into every day, to the parking lot I use every day... I see the club dressing up for a Masters 1000 and I feel like a little kid, it's wild," he remarks with that nervous laugh of someone who knows that there's no tournament more important than this throughout the year.

Finally, the Monegasque also wanted to assess his recent months on the circuit: after what he considers a "great peak" with the title in Shanghai and the quarterfinals in Paris, he is content with the start of 2026 where there are no "major results," but no striking defeats either. "In terms of tennis and results, I feel I am being very consistent. There haven't been big wins, but no bad losses either. I am satisfied." At home, where he claims to always have an "extra 2% or 3%, both physically and mentally," Valentin wants to be a prophet in his land again... and although it won't be easy, do not rule it out: with no points to defend at this time of year, no one is more dangerous than a man set free.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Vacherot, un héroe que vuelve a casa: "Elegiría ganar Montecarlo antes que un Grand Slam"