Vacherot and a unique feeling: "It's the first time something like this has happened to me"

Andrés Tomás Rico - 7 Oct 2026 | 18:33
ATP Valentin Vacherot ATP Shanghái 2026

The Monegasque returns one year later to the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, where he won his first title coming from the qualifying round, and confesses his objective for the remainder of 2026.

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Vacherot and a unique feeling: "It's the first time something like this has happened to me." Photo: Getty Images

A year after one of the greatest feats in the world of tennis, its protagonist, Valentin Vacherot, returns to the stage where he achieved it, Masters 1000 in Shanghai. In October 2025, the Monegasque surprised the tennis and sports world by winning the Chinese tournament after qualifying and being ranked number 204 in the world, thus securing his first title as a professional tennis player.

However, in the world of professional tennis, when one wins a tournament, they must defend it the following year if they want to avoid losing a significant number of points. This is the main issue for Vacherot, who has continued to climb in the ATP ranking and as of today is ranked number 12 in the world. He has not won any other titles, but he reached the semifinals at the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo and just a few days ago he did the same at the ATP 500 in Tokyo. All of this while dealing with an injury that prevented him from playing during the grass court season.

Therefore, in the event of a debacle, he would not lose ground in the ATP ranking. In the worst-case scenario, he would fall back to the 33rd position. But if he has a good tournament, he might not even drop out of the Top 30. Even so, the Monegasque will experience a feeling he has never had before on the circuit, that of defending the champion's title. He discussed this in an interview with Eurosport France.

Vacherot has more realistic goals than winning in Shanghai again

“I have obviously talked about how to approach this return to Shanghai with my coach and psychologist. This is the first time something like this has happened to me: returning to a tournament where I achieved such an important title and where I experienced so many emotions. There is already some prior work to do because I know perfectly well that, regardless of what happens, unless I manage to defend the title, I will drop positions in the ranking. I am aware of that and I cannot avoid losing those points.”

Instead of feeling the pressure to retain the title, Vacherot is looking for other objectives in Shanghai: “The key lies more in how this tournament in Shanghai can help me achieve my goals for the end of the season. Of course, I am going to try to perform my best possible tournament, but I don't want to focus on the fact that I am going to lose 1,000 points, because I will lose those points anyway. In my mind, I try to look at it differently: every victory I achieve here is points I gain thinking about next year and future opportunities.”

Beyond the Masters 1000 in Shanghai and everything surrounding it, Vacherot had a clear goal since the beginning of 2026 that he has yet to fulfill: “I would like to win a tournament this year, whatever it may be in this final stretch of the season.” But as the season comes to an end and options dwindle, the 27-year-old tennis player is already thinking about another challenge for 2027.

“Additionally, a new objective has arisen related to my ranking: trying to reach the Australian Open as a seeded player. It is something many players around the 40th position in the world are looking for, trying to be among the seeded players in Melbourne,” concluded Valentin Vacherot, who returns to the place where everything changed for him.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Vacherot y una sensación única: "Es la primera vez que me pasa algo así"