Monegasque Valentin Vacherot has become the first person from Monaco to ever clinch a championship victory at ATP Tour level, taking the crown at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Sunday, 12 October 2025.
In a dramatic twist, Valentin – who was virtually unknown before the tournament – defeated tennis great Novak Djokovic in the semi-final, to then take on his own cousin and training partner Arthur Rinderknech in the final.
Vacherot beat Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to claim his maiden ATP Tour title. It’s an underdog story that’s capturing the hearts of the world. Before Shanghai, the 26-year-old had only one tour-level match win to his name. No title wins. (Compare that to Djokovic who has 100 title wins!)
Monaco’s Prince Albert posted a congratulatory message to social media, praising Valentin for his “remarkable achievement, not only technically and physically, but also mentally”.
In a message shared on the palace’s facebook page, Prince Albert II said: “This remarkable achievement is a truly great moment for Monegasque sport”, and added “even though we are a small country, this achievement shows that nothing is impossible.”
The Prince said the triumph in a Masters 1000 event was “incredible” and “simply breathtaking”.
Ranked No. 204, Valentin has become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history (since records began in 1990).
The celebration after his win was a family affair, with Valentin thanking “my brother, my coach, Ben” in reference to his coach and half-brother, Benjamin Balleret, who he said has been helping him, and pushing him, every day since he was 14.
Afterwards Ben told the ATP Tour it has been a “long journey” that was emotionally difficult. He said it’s hard enough with any player, because you want them to win and losses are difficult, but it’s even more “difficult emotionally” when it’s family, “when it’s your brother”.
“So there were some ups and downs,” he said. “To be here in front of you guys today with Val as a Masters 1000 champion, it’s just unbelievable.”
Valentin echoed his sentiments, calling it “unreal” and “crazy”. Talking about his opponent and cousin Rinderknech, he said: “There has to be one loser but I think there are two winners today, one family that won.”
The cousins are close. Valentin had followed Arthur to Texas A&M University where they were college teammates.
Apart from the new records he’s made and title he’s earned, Valentin walks away from Shanghai with $1,124,380 in prize money, more than double what he’s earned throughout his career so far.
During his post-match speech, Valentin took the time to thank his girlfriend of three years, Emily Snyder, for always believing in him and helping him to not give up hope. He had set a goal to reach the Top 100 this year. On Monday – 13 October 2025 – he shoots into the Top 50 at the No. 40 spot on the ATP Tour.
Congratulations Valentin Vacherot!
