It's simply stunning": Prince Albert II's powerful message to Valentin Vacherot after his triumph in Shanghai

At 26 years old, Valentin Vacherot made Monegasque tennis history in Shanghai. Prince Albert II, visibly moved, praised the player's "stunning" performance while paying tribute to "the team and family spirit" behind this success.

As the surprise winner of the Shanghai Masters 1000 against his cousin Arthur Rinderknech, Valentin Vacherot also brought pride to Monaco, the country he has represented on the ATP tour since 2021.

His victory in China obviously drew a reaction from Prince Albert II of Monaco, who is passionate about sports. His comments were relayed by the media RMC Sport:

"It's simply stunning. I don't have an adjective that does justice to this feat. We knew Valentin's qualities, but it's true that he has reached another level in recent months, for some time now, and we knew he had the potential to go far, but we never thought he could reach a Masters 1000 final so quickly.

The fact that he's also a Davis Cup player and that this is part of his development, there's really this support around him, this family spirit that they've all managed to create, but which was also instilled by the president (of the Monegasque tennis federation) Mélanie de Massy, my cousin.

This is also to pay tribute to her, to pay tribute to the entire team. Even though it's an individual sport, there's really a team around. This is truly a very, very great moment for Monegasque sports.