Djokovic lost to a player who previously faced Ly Hoang Nam, ending his dream of winning the Shanghai Masters

Novak Djokovic was unable to secure the championship at this year's Shanghai Masters while Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Taylor Fritz were all eliminated early.

Novak Djokovic unexpectedly exited in the semifinals of the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters 2025 after a 3-6, 4-6 loss to Valentin Vacherot this afternoon, October 11, Vietnam time.

In the first two games, Djokovic and Vacherot exchanged break points, signaling a match full of fluctuations. The turning point came early when Djokovic required medical attention for a back issue. Upon returning, the Serbian faced two breaks and couldn’t recover, losing the crucial service game. Vacherot’s strong serve easily closed the set 6-3.

Djokovic sensed difficulties early in the second set, barely saving two break points. The Grand Slam record holder continued to have unstable service games, but Vacherot could not capitalize immediately. At the decisive game, the Monaco player pressured Djokovic, converted a break point, and then seized his second match point to clinch a surprising 2-0 victory.

With Carlos Alcaraz withdrawing early and Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev eliminated in initial rounds, Novak Djokovic still missed the chance to reach his sixth Shanghai Masters final. His last ATP 1000 title was nearly two years ago at the 2023 Paris Masters.

For Valentin Vacherot, the remarkable journey from Monaco is far from over. Initially at risk of missing the Shanghai Masters due to low ranking, Luca Nardi’s unexpected withdrawal opened the door for Vacherot to enter the qualifiers.

The 26-year-old made the most of this opportunity, creating the most memorable tournament of his career. He defeated several top players: Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac, Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune, and Novak Djokovic, reaching his first ATP 1000 final and securing at least $597,890 in prize money — more than he had ever earned before.

Born in 1998 in France but representing Monaco at the national team level, Vacherot comes from a college tennis background, formerly playing for Texas A&M in the NCAA. In 2022, he won his first ATP Challenger title by defeating Ly Hoang Nam in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

In 2024, Vacherot briefly approached the top 100 in the world rankings but suffered an injury that caused a sharp drop. However, his outstanding performance in Shanghai will boost him to at least world No. 58 in the rankings updated early next week.

Valentin Vacherot’s opponent in this year’s Shanghai Masters final will be either Daniil Medvedev or Arthur Rinderknech — the uncle of the Monaco player.

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