Vacherot: From Qualifiers to Shanghai Masters Semifinalist, Rising from Injury Setbacks to Breaking into the Top 100

At the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Tennis Masters, Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot delivered an inspiring performance. After dropping the first set, he fought back fiercely to defeat the 10th seed Rune 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, reaching the ATP 1000 Masters semifinals for the first time in his career.

A Historic Breakthrough

Vacherot’s victory, which lasted 2 hours and 59 minutes, holds great significance:

- He became the first player from Monaco to reach an ATP Tour semifinal.

- As a qualifier, he made history by securing the first-ever ATP 1000 event semifinal spot for a player from Monaco.

- Thanks to this win, his world ranking jumped from No. 204 to No. 92, successfully entering the “Top 100” club.

❤️ Family’s Presence and Support

After the match, an emotional Vacherot shared his joy with his coach (his half-brother) Benjamin Balleret, his girlfriend, and his cousin Arthur Lindgren who were present.

- Brother and coach Balleret witnessed his journey from shoulder injury struggles back to the court and knows how hard this achievement was earned.

Balleret said:

“Last year when he got injured, we were very close to the top 100, ranked 110th. Then everything had to start from scratch, which was hard for him to accept. Now seeing him succeed, I’m very moved—after all, he’s my brother. I have watched him grow step by step and know how much he yearned for this goal.

Sometimes I think he wanted it too much. And indeed, we truly started over: when he returned from college, his ATP points were zero. I believe in him, and he believes in me and my experience to help him. So this result now is truly overwhelming.”

- Cousin Lindgren: Also a tennis player who reached the quarterfinals in this Shanghai Masters; he has always believed Vacherot could break into the top 100 and looks forward to competing alongside him on tour.

Lindgren and Vacherot played together for two and a half seasons at Texas A&M University. Their coach then, former ATP pro Steve Denton, watched the last two sets of this match around 3 a.m. local time from home.

At the 2006 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, 7-year-old Vacherot posed for a photo with his 10-year-old cousin Lindgren.

Reborn from Injury

Vacherot’s path to the semifinals was full of obstacles:

- Low point: After the French Open last year, he was sidelined for nearly seven months due to a shoulder injury, causing his ranking to drop from near the top 100 to 267.

- Narrow qualification for Shanghai: Before the tournament, he was on the edge of qualifying and only confirmed his spot less than 36 hours before the start.

Vacherot said: “At that time, I thought the worst case was coming here a week early because I had five Challenger events planned afterward. Now that I’ve finished this match, I can go home, which is kind of funny. I told myself that even if I didn’t qualify, I could still train for a week using China’s facilities to prepare for upcoming matches.”

Semifinal Challenge

Next, he will face four-time champion and world-class player Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. This match will undoubtedly be another major test for him.

For Djokovic, Vacherot is not a stranger. Djokovic lived in Monte Carlo for 15 years, trained at the Monte Carlo Country Club, is familiar with Vacherot and his coach, and has practiced with them.

[Look at me][Look at me][Give myself a flower][Give myself a flower]

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