Valentin Vacherot’s disbelief after victory over Novak Djokovic

There is great disbelief, and it couldn’t be otherwise, for Valentin Vacherot, the Monegasque world number 204 who unbelievably reached the final of the Shanghai Masters 1000 by beating former tennis king Novak Djokovic in two sets.

“I have to pinch myself, is it true what happened? Right now I can’t find words, I have a thousand different feelings. “I know not many of you wanted me to win…” joked Vacherot at the end of the match won 6-3 6-4.

“Having Novak on the’other side of the court was an invaluable experience. I will learn a lot from this match, an’hour and 40 minutes of pure joy, but I have to keep my feet on the ground and focus on preparing for the final”.

Vacherot will be 27 years old next November 16, has won four Challenger tournaments and seven ITFs, and before today had never made it to an ATP major circuit final. In Shanghai he did so by starting from the qualifiers.