Valentin Vacherot has made a name for himself at the Shanghai Masters finals after a historic win.
According to Tennis World, world no. 204 entered the qualifying draw as an alternate and scored eight victories to arrange the title clash against his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech.
To make things even better, the Monegasque defeated injured Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-final, celebrating a notable victory and earning enough points to crack the top-60 regardless of the final outcome.
Reflecting on beating Novak, Valentin admitted that what surprised him most was how well he handled the mental pressure of facing one of the sport's greatest champions.
Vacherot said, “I'm surprised by how I handled it mentally. Novak immediately broke my serve, playing just as I thought he would. I was delighted to break back as quickly as possible. Then it became a battle. We know Novak is 38 years old. It's already incredible what he is doing at that age, which is very tough for his body. The truth is, I had to stay focused.”
“I had so many thoughts in my head, even when I had just won the first set and all. Still, every time I had small thoughts, I simply attributed them to thinking about the next return I was going to make or the next serve I was going to execute," he added.
Vacherot's poise under pressure earned him a pace in his first Masters 1000 final and revealed the mindset of a player ready to belong on the sport's most notable stages.
