Valentin Vacherot Makes Stunning Claim About Preferring to Win Monte Carlo Over a Grand Slam

Valentin Vacherot became the lowest-ranked player to win the Rolex Shanghai Masters last October.

Valentin Vacherot Makes Stunning Claim About Preferring to Win Monte Carlo Over a Grand Slam

Valentin Vacherot (Image via X/TNT Sports)

In Short
  • Valentin Vacherot prefers winning the Monte Carlo Masters over a Grand Slam title.
  • He believes the Monte Carlo Masters holds special significance as a homegrown tournament.
  • Vacherot recently advanced in the Monte Carlo Masters after a comeback win against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

Many players’ dream is to win a Grand Slam before they retire from the sport. In fact, players who are dubbed among the most talented of their generation are often criticized if they fail to win a Slam. But that doesn’t hold the same for Valentin Vacherot, who believes that winning the Monte Carlo Masters is worth more than a major title.

The Monte Carlo Masters has never had a homegrown singles champion. The ATP 1000 tournament is one of the most highly entertaining tournaments on tour and attracts top players. Only Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton, and Taylor Fritz are missing in the event this year, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner leading the men’s singles.

However, the event is the only Masters 1000 tournament that players can skip without any consequence, which makes it non-mandatory in the ATP. Players often target competing in the Madrid Open and the Italian Open ahead of the second Grand Slam at Roland Garros. Besides that, players have targeted winning Grand Slams more than other tournaments.

Winning a Grand Slam isn’t just about the title, but the media attention, sponsorship deals, and endorsement that come from it. Also, not every player has the opportunity to win a Slam, but several players can with a Masters 1000 crown. Vacherot opened his Monte Carlo Masters campaign with a comeback win against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

The Shanghai Masters champion lost the first set but then climbed his way back into the game, dropping just three games in the second and third sets. He won the 5-7, 6-2, 6-1. During an interview with the Sit-Down podcast, he admitted that he would prefer winning the Monte Carlo Masters over a Grand Slam:

I was praying that it was going to be during vacation, so I didn’t have any problem to go from 9am to 7pm on site and watch every singles match possible, catch every autograph possible, and that’s why it’s weird, but I’d rather win Monte-Carlo than a Grand Slam to be honest. Of course, I wouldn’t mind winning a Grand Slam. It’s just really special. It’s the club that I’ve always been playing tennis in.

Vacherot will face his first major test at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday (April 8) when he takes on Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti reached the final of the tournament last year, only to lose to Alcaraz. He also reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2025 and had a good run during the clay season.

Valentin Vacherot reflects on his Rolex Shanghai Masters triumph

Valentin Vacherot made a name for himself at the Rolex Shanghai Masters last year when he, as a qualifier and then-World No.204, advanced to the final after defeating Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune. He became the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in tour history and the first player from Monaco to win a singles title on the professional circuit.

Valentin Vacherot
Valentin Vacherot (via Punto de Break)

The triumph by the Monaco star solidified his place on the ATP Tour, and he currently sits in the top 30, and he’s precisely ranked World No.23 in the men’s rankings. During the aforementioned interview, Vacherot revealed that sometimes he wonders if winning the Shanghai Masters was real:

It’s hard to even believe sometimes that it was real, but I try to not think about it all the time… it was an amazing example for how I played, how I battled and everything, but also [it was about] just getting back to Earth and just knowing now this is my place, this is where I belong. And try to gradually keep climbing and see where I can end up by the end.

Vacherot defeated his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters last October. This year, he has only been able to reach two quarter-finals on tour, and they came at the Adelaide International and the Acapulco Open.

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