Andy Murray’s former coach pinpoints the ‘crucial’ aspect of Valentin Vacherot’s shocking Shanghai Masters triumph

Add as preferred source on Google

Valentin Vacherot produced one of the most remarkable stories in tennis history at the Shanghai Masters this week.

The world number 204, a clear outsider for the title, defeated Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic on his way to a maiden ATP Tour title.

Vacherot’s triumph set a new record: he is the lowest-ranked player to ever win a Masters 1000 title.

The Monegasque talent has now risen 164 places to world number 40 following his 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final.

One notable coach has weighed in on Vacherot’s monumental triumph, noting a ‘crucial’ element to his success.

Brad Gilbert says Valentin Vacherot’s fitness was ‘crucial’ in Shanghai

Valentin Vacherot made history by becoming the third qualifier to win a Masters 1000 title on Sunday.

This momentous feat was recognised by Brad Gilbert, the former coach of Andy Murray and Andre Agassi.

On X [Twitter] Gilbert said: “For every player ranked between 125-400 who plays mostly challengers, most importantly, put in the hard yards on the practice courts and in the gym.

“When opportunity knocks like it did for Double V he was ready, especially for the fitness part, [which] was crucial in Shanghai.”

Fitness is certainly a crucial aspect within any sporting setting, perhaps more so at the level Gilbert discusses.

There is often little to separate players’ levels of talent between 100 and 500 on the ATP Tour, meaning a player’s fitness could represent the difference between success and failure.

Vacherot’s outstanding performance against Rinderknech

Valentin Vacherot produced the performance of a lifetime to overcome his cousin in the Shanghai Masters final.

As per Sofascore, the Monegasque star made 68 per cent of his first serves, winning 78 per cent of those points.

He also won a remarkable 74 per cent of his second serve points.

However, the key factor in the match was the amount of break-point opportunities engineered by Vacherot.

He had 14 opportunities during the match, converting three. Comparatively, Rinderknech had just one break-point opportunity.