“If I can play…Novak [on Saturday]…it would mean a lot to play at least one of the guys of the big three in my career,” Valentin Vacherot, tennis player from Monaco, said on Thursday. Two days later, he played against Djokovic and defeated him to reach the Rolex Shanghai Masters semifinals.

Vacherot sank record four-time champion Djokovic in stunning fashion today (October 11) to reach the championship match. Ranked World No. 204, Vacherot toppled Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in the Shanghai Masters semifinals. And with that, he has become the lowest-ranked finalist in ATP Masters 1000 history (since 1990).

Djokovic’s physical struggles

The 26-year-old qualifier showed remarkable poise as Djokovic battled visible physical struggles. The Serbian superstar required repeated treatment for a lower back issue and twice took medical timeouts during the opening set.

Despite facing the 24-time Grand Slam champion, Vacherot won 78% of points behind his first serve (28/36) and struck cleanly from both wings.

Djokovic’s troubles began early — after breaking in the opening game, he was immediately broken back. Midway through the set, he clutched his left leg and eventually took an extended medical timeout. When play resumed, his movement was clearly limited, allowing Vacherot to take control and serve out the set with two aces.

In the second set, Djokovic fought valiantly but was betrayed by his body. Two double faults in the ninth game gave Vacherot a crucial break and the Monaco native held his nerve to close out the match, sealing the win with a booming serve.

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Vacherot’s remarkable run

For Vacherot, it’s a breakthrough moment. His remarkable run, which included a quarterfinal win over Holger Rune, guarantees him a place inside the Top 100 for the first time. He’s projected to soar 146 spots to World No. 58 in the live rankings.

The former Texas A&M University standout becomes just the sixth player this century to reach his maiden ATP Tour final at a Masters 1000 event and the first since Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at Monte-Carlo in 2022.