And with that, the 2025 tennis season is almost near its end. The last Masters 1000 event of the year, the Rolex Paris Masters, is set to take place at the Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre from October 27 to November 2, 2025. A few weeks ago, the prospect of seeing Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot at the arena probably wouldn’t have generated much buzz. Before Shanghai, he was ranked too low for that, just another determined player hoping to steal a few wins before the year ended. But the man from Monaco won, and how things have changed.

As Univers Tennis reported on X, the director of the Paris Masters 1000, Cédric Pioline, discussed Vacherot’s participation in Paris. “A wild-card for Valentin Vacherot 🇲🇨? Today, after his feat in Shanghai, it’s truly a question that arises. He has already made his request. We will meet to discuss it,” he said.

In a tournament where players were dropping like flies because of the heat and humidity, Vacherot’s win showed that in tennis anything is possible.  In most ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, a small number of main-draw spots are reserved for wild-card entries at the discretion of the organizers; the Paris Masters has four, and Vacherot has certainly made himself a strong case to earn one.

For the 2025 Rolex Paris Masters, players ranked up to No. 45 in the ATP rankings are typically eligible for direct entry into the main draw; players below that can come through a wild card. The decision now lies on the shoulders of these organizers whether to let Vacherot be or not be in the tournament.

Pioline also made another statement: “Given his achievements, will he get a wild card or not? That’s really a question we’re asking ourselves,” he said, also mentioning that, “two weeks ago (…) not many people knew him.” Funnily enough, before winning Shanghai, he was not even eligible for a wild card.

Before his victory, Valentin Vacherot sat at No. 204 in the world rankings, when he then shot up 164 spots to No. 40 – a leap that transformed him from a relative underdog into a player the tennis world couldn’t ignore. “Now I think he has a name that speaks, that is in the news, he is identifiable,” Pioline added. It’s a testament to just how fortuitous and surprising his victory in Shanghai was.

Valentin Vacherot’s surprise run to victory in Shanghai

The tennis star did not enter the Shanghai Masters as a contender for the finals; he was promising, but in a main draw with the likes of Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, few could’ve predicted Vacherot to emerge victorious.

Before this, he made his Grand Slam debut at the 2024 French Open, advancing through qualifying. In Monte Carlo 2025, he earned his first Masters 1000 win over Jan-Lennard Struff, kicking off his rise on the ATP Tour. Earlier, he built his reputation on the Challenger circuit, winning titles in Pune 2024 and Nonthaburi 2022. Which only goes to show how much of a fairytale his run in China’s biggest city was.

It was a run that almost never was; Vacherot, heading into the tournament, was the ninth alternate, only making it to qualifying due to a number of withdrawals.

“When I landed here, I wasn’t even supposed to play the tournament,” said Vacherot. “I took a little gamble to come play. I got in just a little more than one day before the start. The challenges were just everywhere. Even in the first round of qualifications, I was down 6-7, 3-4. I saved a break point when 3-4 down in the third in the second qualification round.

The challenges didn’t end there. In the second round of qualifying, it was Canadian Liam Draxl on the other side of the net, and he meant business, winning the first set 4–6 and then leaving Vacherot on the edge with a score of 1–4 in the second. But the then World No. 204 refused to give up. He came back to win the second set 7–6(5) in a tense tiebreak and then took the third set 6–4, securing his place in the main draw.

Then, one of his peaks of the tournament came when he defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic 6–3, 6–4. This victory marked the first time Vacherot had defeated a Top-10 player and made him the lowest-ranked finalist in ATP Masters 1000 history. “Going from qualifications, it’s an amazing story. I told him [Valentin] at the net that he’s had an amazing tournament, but more so his attitude is very good, and his game was amazing as well,” Djokovic praised the world number 40 after the game. 

Then in the finals, Vacherot overcame his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3. This win not only secured his first ATP title but also made him the first Monégasque player to win a tour-level singles title. “It’s unreal what just happened. I have no idea what is happening. It’s just crazy. I’m just so happy about my performance these past few weeks. I just want to thank everyone who put a brick into my career since the beginning,” he said. It was a magical moment for the Monegasque; could we see a repeat in Paris? As Vacherot has shown us, you can never say never.