Valentin Vacherot continues to break new ground after his run to the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals.
Vacherot made history at the Monte Carlo Masters after becoming the first Monegasque to reach the final four of his home ATP 1000 tournament.
The 27-year-old’s run would come to an end in the semifinals, where Vacherot was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz.
Following Vacherot’s Monte Carlo Masters run, former world number one Andy Roddick has claimed he is achieving something that has never been seen before in tennis.
Andy Roddick reacts to Valentin Vacherot’s run to the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals
Vacherot was ranked outside the top 200 this time last year, but he is now at his career-high ranking of world number 17.
This all started in China last year, where Vacherot won the Shanghai Masters title after coming through qualifying.
After watching Vacherot back his Shanghai run up in Monte Carlo, Roddick spoke about how unique his rise up the rankings has been later on in his career.
“You were like put me in his draw, this guy is not going to win a match [after Shanghai],” Roddick said on his podcast. “But Vacherot started winning immediately after Shanghai also.
It was like one week he was 250 and there was a sample size of half a decade of why he was 250 in the world. Then you just carve out those 11 days and after what he is a top 30 guy, maybe even top 20!
“I don’t think I have ever seen someone just turn the page but not through a fluke event, which it’s hard to argue it’s not, except for the fact he’s not making semifinals in Masters 1000’s and beating [Lorenzo] Musetti on clay. You’re like no part of his game gets better on clay. This story just gets better and better with time.”
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What is next for Valentin Vacherot?
After losing to Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo semifinals, Vacherot was scheduled to compete at the Barcelona Open.
However, Vacherot decided to withdraw from the ATP 500 tournament, giving himself a week away from the match court to recover ahead of his next event.
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That next event will be the Madrid Open, where Vacherot has never played in the main draw before.
Vacherot’s only previous appearance at the Madrid Open came in 2024 when he lost in the second round of qualifying.
Having not been ranked high enough to play these tournaments last year, Vacherot has a big opportunity to keep rising up the ranks, with just 148 points to defend until he returns to the Shanghai Masters later this year.
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