Vacherot has scripted Monegasque history in Shanghai.
World No. 204 Valentin Vacherot has shocked the world as he has won his maiden Masters-1000 final at the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters. The 26-year-old Monegasque sensation took down Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-4 in the semifinals on Saturday to become the first man from his country to reach a tour-level final. And now, he is the first from his nation to win the reputed Shanghai crown.
Vacherot faced his cousin brother Arthur Rinderknech in the summit clash where he defeated Rinderknech from a set down (4-6, 6-3, 6-3) to take his maiden ATP 1000 title in Shanghai.
Two weeks ago, Vacherot was waiting as an alternate in the qualifiers of the Shanghai Masters. After the withdrawal of Luca Nardi, the unseeded star found himself competing for a spot in the main draw. After producing two magnificent comeback wins in the qualifying draw, Vacherot entered the main draw. He proceeded to overpower Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac, Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic to reach the final.
One of the striking features of Valentin Vacherot during his matches is a strange patch on his nose. What exactly is it? Let’s find out.
Valentin Vacherot wears a nasal strip on his nose. It is a black piece/patch that some players use during their matches.
A nasal strip is a small, adhesive strip that is placed on the nose. It helps athletes by opening up the nasal passages, which improves the airflow and eases out the circulation. This helps to reduce breathing difficulties during intense matches, and also enables quick recovery and cooling down.
Valentin Vacherot is not the first player to opt for nasal strips during matches. Six-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz was the main promoter of nasal strips earlier this year. The Spanish phenom has been seen sporting these pieces of fabric on several occasions – stating that it helps in his recovery between points. Among athletes from other sports, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. have also used nasal strips in the past.
“I saw Carlos [Alcaraz] playing with it,” said 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva regarding nasal strips. The Russian is currently ranked No. 5 in the world, and spoke about the potential of playing with nasal strips in the future. “I would be pretty interested to try and see if there is really a difference [playing with nasal strips]. If he [Alcaraz] plays matches in it, then probably there is.”
