Valentin Vacherot has made sporting history for Monaco, becoming the first Monegasque tennis player to win a tournament on the ATP Tour in the Open Era after defeating tennis legend Novak Djokovic en route to victory at the Shanghai Masters — and then overcoming his own cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, in a gripping final on Sunday.
The 26-year-old didn’t just bring home Monaco’s first-ever ATP title since 1968; he did so at a Masters 1000, the sport’s most prestigious category after the Grand Slams. Ranked just 204 in the world at the start of the tournament, Vacherot is now officially the lowest-ranked player in history to win a Masters 1000 event.
“It’s simply breathtaking. I don’t have adequate adjectives for this achievement,” said Prince Albert II after the victory. “We knew Valentin had qualities, that he had been progressing for some months now, and we knew he had the potential to go so far, but we never thought he could reach a Masters 1000 final so quickly.”
The Prince also added: “It’s remarkable not only in terms of technique and physicality, but also mentally. He’s a boy who has progressed greatly at that level.”
Beating the best
One of the defining moments of Vacherot’s campaign came in the third round, when he stunned Novak Djokovic in straight sets — arguably the biggest upset of the year on the ATP Tour and a defining victory in Vacherot’s young career.
“I hadn’t even dreamed of this because it wasn’t conceivable,” Vacherot told reporters after the match.
From that moment on, belief seemed to fuel Vacherot’s run. Sunday’s final saw him rally from a set down to defeat Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in a dramatic all-family showdown.
An extraordinary fortnight
Vacherot entered the tournament in Shanghai as an alternate and had to battle through qualifying rounds, surviving match points along the way. Now, after a string of sensational victories, he will soar 164 places in Monday’s ATP rankings to become World No. 40.
“We have a bunch of young kids that train every day and just the videos of seeing them jumping around when I win… What’s in my heart, the most important, is the joy that I bring back home,” he said.
Vacherot is currently Monaco’s only singles representative in the ATP top 1,000.
“We’re just a small federation. Four players at that level is crazy for Monaco. We’re a little family.”
Prince Albert hails team spirit
Prince Albert II echoed those sentiments, praising the team behind Vacherot and the sense of unity that helped drive the success.
“There’s really a team around him, this team spirit that you don’t always find in tennis and other individual sports. I think the fact that he’s also a Davis Cup player was part of his formation,” the Prince said.
“There’s this family spirit that they’ve all managed to create, but which was also instilled by the president, by Mélanie de Massy, my cousin.”
The Prince also revealed that he had been in touch with Vacherot before the final.
“I sent him a message of both congratulations and encouragement,” he shared. “And I finished, as I finish my messages with Charles Leclerc, with: Daghe Munegu! (Go Monaco). I dare hope that it brought him luck.”
A win for Monaco sport
The triumph adds to a growing list of international sporting achievements for Monaco — from motor racing to athletics and now, tennis.
“Even if we’re a small country, even if we have limitations in many areas, we can, thanks to this spirit, thanks to this dynamic, achieve very great things,” said Prince Albert II.
For France, the final was bittersweet. Rinderknech’s loss means the nation’s wait for a Masters 1000 champion stretches into another year. The last Frenchman to lift such a trophy was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2014.
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Main photo credit: Monaco Info