Djokovic before his semifinal against Vacherot: "He has a playing style similar to Rinderknech"

Valentin Vacherot's feat is lighting up Shanghai. The Monegasque, ranked 204th in the world, has earned a dream duel against Novak Djokovic, who is fascinated by his journey: "He has great potential, an impressive serve."

The Shanghai Masters 1000 semifinals are partly unprecedented this year with the presence of Valentin Vacherot, ranked 204th in the world and coming through qualifying, as well as his cousin Arthur Rinderknech.

Vacherot will take on the mountain that is Novak Djokovic tomorrow, who is appearing in a Masters 1000 semifinal for the 80th time in his career and is chasing a 101st ATP Tour title. An unexpected matchup that was discussed by the Serb in a press conference:

"I've known him for a few years. Of course, he was ranked beyond 200th before this tournament. This is a historic success for Monaco. Everyone is enthusiastic. We know that one of the most beautiful tournaments in our sport takes place in Monaco.

I'm happy for him and his team. I've known Benjamin Balleret (his coach) for a while because I've lived and trained there for 15 years. He has improved a lot. We always knew he had great potential, with a powerful serve and impressive game, he's a great player.

He has a playing style similar to Rinderknech. And I see they are close. His serve reminds me of Arthur's. It's wonderful to see this connection between them, how they support each other. I look forward to playing him and obviously hope to win."