Twelve months after one of the most remarkable runs in Masters 1000 history, Valentin Vacherot lost 6-4, 6-2 to Tommy Paul in the third round on Monday. The 15th-seeded American needed under ninety minutes to end the Monegasque’s title defense. The 27-year-old did not require a post-match analyst to explain to him what went wrong in Shanghai. The defending champion gave the verdict himself, and it was far harsher than anything a critic could have written.
Speaking to L’Equipe afterward, Vacherot used a crude expletive in French to describe his own level.
“The first thing is that I played terribly,” Vacherot stated. “Tommy made me play badly too. I quickly realized I wasn’t at my best, especially physically.”
The match backed up his claim. Vacherot was broken in the third game, broke back, and was broken again before Paul served out the first set, saving two break points along the way. He committed 27 errors and hit just three forehand winners to Paul’s 12.
He pointed to his staff multiple times that he was running out of gas. Vacherot cited the point at which he felt it cost him the match.
“I had a break point to get back to 5-5 in the first set. Once I missed that opportunity, he gained confidence and played a great second set.”
“Everything was really tough. On half my shots, I felt like I had no control over what was going to happen. Bad serve, really bad forehand, average backhand…,” he added.
The world No. 14 has built his game on a big serve and attacking forehand and just four winners on that side is a concerning sign. Even so, he gave Paul credit for moving him around and disrupting his rhythm with slices, adding that he was passed whenever he came to the net. His explanation, however, went beyond technique.
Vacherot blames fatigue and a heavy schedule
Just like most players on tour, except Alexander Zverev, Valentin Vacherot believes the tennis year has caught up with him.
“I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been playing so much for months, but tonight was probably one of my worst matches of the season.”
“If I’m physically and mentally tired, there’s a reason. Going home will do me good. I think since July 25th, between the American tour and the Davis Cup where we left early, I’ve only been home for six days,” Vacherot added.
A year ago, the Monegasque came through qualifying as the 204th-ranked player in the world and beat Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final. He became the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in history and the first Monegasque to win an ATP Tour singles title.
He arrived in Shanghai this week with 23 wins in the season and 1,000 points to defend, and his ten-match winning streak at the event ended here. He had carried his Shanghai form into this season as well, reaching the Monte-Carlo semifinals and the third round of the Australian Open, becoming the first man representing Monaco to reach the third round of a Grand Slam in the Open Era. His disappointment was also for the people in the stands.
“I’m also disappointed for the fans; I would have liked to leave this tournament after a great match, a real battle, three sets for example, not losing 6-4, 6-2.”
Paul now moves on to face Zizou Bergs, who stunned Carlos Alcaraz, while Vacherot heads home with a plan.
Vacherot will go to Lyon from here, which will act as preparation for the final Masters of the season in Paris. He reached the quarterfinals in Paris last year, so the bar is already set high. For Vacherot, the next few weeks will decide whether Shanghai was just a bad night or a sign that he needs a longer rest.