Monaco Town Hall celebrated a breakthrough year for the Principality’s tennis on Thursday 11th December, honouring five players whose achievements have rewritten the record books. Mayor Georges Marsan presented medals to Valentin Vacherot, Lucas Catarina, Benjamin Balleret, Hugo Nys and Romain Arneodo—a group that includes the lowest-ranked player ever to win a Masters 1000 title and the first Monegasque to claim an ATP singles trophy.
The ceremony, attended by Mélanie-Antoinette de Massy, President of both the Monaco Tennis Federation and the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, recognised performances that have elevated Monaco to 44th place out of 161 countries in Davis Cup rankings—a remarkable achievement for one of the world’s smallest nations.
Vacherot’s Shanghai sensation
Valentin Vacherot’s October victory at the Shanghai Masters stands as one of the most extraordinary stories in ATP Tour history. Ranked world number 204 and not even in the qualifying draw initially, Vacherot fought through nine consecutive wins to claim the title, defeating Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in an emotional all-family final.
The 26-year-old became the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in history (since 1990), rocketing from 204th to 40th in the rankings and earning more prize money in two weeks ($1.1 million) than his entire previous career combined. He went on to win ATP Breakthrough of the Year, voted by members of the No. 1 Club—former and current world number ones.
“I don’t even understand why I’m sitting here right now. It’s crazy,” Vacherot said after his triumph. “When I landed here, I wasn’t even supposed to play the tournament.”
His Shanghai run included victories over top-20 players Alexander Bublik, Holger Rune, and Tomas Machac before stunning four-time champion Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals—Monaco’s first-ever top-10 win.
Doubles dominance
Hugo Nys continues to build on his historic achievements as Monaco’s leading doubles player. In 2025, partnering with French veteran Édouard Roger-Vasselin, he reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open as the 15th seeds. The pair defeated Tomas Machac and Zhizhen Zhang 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the round of 16 before falling to eventual champions and reigning Wimbledon winners Harri Heliövaara and Henry Patten 6-3, 7-5 in the quarter-finals. Roger-Vasselin, aged 41, brought two Grand Slam titles to the partnership—the 2014 French Open men’s doubles and the 2024 French Open mixed doubles.
Nys carved his own piece of Monaco tennis history in 2023 when he won the Rome Masters 1000 doubles title with partner Jan Zielinski, defeating Botic van de Zandschulp and Robin Haase 7-5, 6-1. The victory made him the first Monegasque player ever to win an ATP Masters 1000 title, reaching a career-high ranking of world number 12 in doubles.
He also became the first Monegasque to reach a Grand Slam final, finishing runner-up at the 2023 Australian Open. His sustained excellence at the highest level has established Monaco as a serious doubles force on the ATP Tour.
Romain Arneodo matched his compatriot’s Masters 1000 success by winning the Monte-Carlo doubles title in 2025, reaching a career-high 38th in doubles rankings. Arneodo previously won the 2019 Los Cabos Open with Nys, establishing a partnership that has brought multiple titles to the Principality.
Family affair
Benjamin Balleret, who reached a career-high 135th in doubles and made the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 quarter-finals, now serves as Vacherot’s coach. The family connection runs deeper—Balleret is Vacherot’s half-brother, whilst Rinderknech, Vacherot’s Shanghai final opponent, is their cousin. All three attended Texas A&M University together, where they were teammates.
Lucas Catarina, who reached 341st in singles rankings, announced his retirement as a player in 2025 after years representing Monaco in Davis Cup competition.
Recognition and gratitude
“It is natural and legitimate to present you with this medal today, which symbolises the recognition of an entire city and country,” Mayor Marsan told the players during Thursday’s ceremony. The work of de Massy and the entire Monaco delegation in developing the Principality’s tennis infrastructure was also acknowledged.
Deputy Mayors Camille Svara, Marjorie Crovetto, Jacques Pastor and Karyn Ardisson-Salopek attended alongside Municipal Councillors Georges Gambarini and Nathalie Vaccarezza, and Arnaud Giusti, Head of Sports and Associations. The coaching team of Guillaume Couillard, Julien Wahl, Antoine Felipe and Thomas Drocourt were also present.
The ceremony celebrated not just individual achievements but Monaco’s emergence as a tennis nation capable of competing—and winning—at the sport’s highest level.
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Photo source: Mairie de Monaco
