Valentin Vacherot did not leave the Monte Carlo Masters entirely happy after his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.
Vacherot made history at the Monte Carlo Masters this year, after becoming the first Monegasque to reach the semifinals of his home ATP tournament.
However, his run came to an end in the semifinal against Alcaraz, who beat Vacherot 6-4, 6-4.
As Alcaraz confirmed his final against Jannik Sinner, Vacherot has admitted his frustrations after losing to the world number one.
Valentin Vacherot ‘glad’ that he is frustrated following Carlos Alcaraz defeat
It was the first time Vacherot had ever played Alcaraz, who is now on a nine-match winning streak at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Vacherot was the world number 255 at the time of the Monte Carlo Masters last year, but he still admitted that he was frustrated after losing to Alcaraz.
However, the 27-year-old was glad to have these frustrations, as Vacherot suggested it showed how far he has come and still has to go.
“It was a fantastic tournament, I’ll obviously cherish the memories for the rest of my life,” said Vacherot, as reported by L’Equipe.
“I’m smiling, but obviously, even though it was Alcaraz I was up against, I’m glad to leave with a bit of frustration, because it shows I want to do better, that I wanted to challenge him even more. But hey, for a first time, it was already a great battle. And with the atmosphere, I had an absolute blast.”
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Valentin Vacherot says if he still thinks he has something to prove
Vacherot won the Shanghai Masters last year in shocking fashion, coming through qualifying before beating the likes of Novak Djokovic, Holger Rune and his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final.
There were still some doubters about Vacherot and whether this was a one-off for him, and he was asked if he thinks that he has now proved his status as a top player on the ATP Tour.
“Yes, in terms of confirmation, I don’t think I have much left to prove,” responded Vacherot. “I’m here, I’m playing tournament after tournament, and I’m where I belong. All I want is to face more top players and challenge them.”
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Vacherot will also be rewarded with a new career-high ranking after his run to the Monte Carlo Masters, climbing inside the top 20 for the first time to world number 17.
However, this is not something he appears particularly bothered about, with Vacherot stating that he actually doesn’t like talking about rankings.
“I don’t like talking about rankings, I don’t like talking about the top 20,” said Vacherot. “As for the rest, we’ll see. I’m going to stay as I am and keep moving forward, that’s what’s great.
“I’m happy because the clay court season is just beginning and I’m so excited to play in all these great tournaments coming up, especially Roland Garros in a month and a half.”
Vacherot has a quick turnaround to his next tournament, as he is scheduled to play the Barcelona Open next week.
The draw has already taken place in Barcelona, and sixth seeded Vacherot is set to play against Terence Atmane in his opening match.
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