Felix Auger-Aliassime predicts what will happen to Valentin Vacherot in the future after beating him in Paris

With his defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters, Valentin Vacherot’s Masters streak came to an end.

The 26-year-old Monegasque star was an unheralded player on the ATP Tour until he took the tennis world by storm at the Shanghai Masters.

Ranked 204th in the world at the time, Vacherot came through qualifying in Shanghai before defeating the likes of Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic en route to the final, where he ultimately overcame his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, to claim a maiden ATP title.

After delivering one of the most incredible underdog stories in recent memory, he exited the Swiss Indoors in round one, but immediately bounced back in Paris, where he claimed three more victories to extend his winning streak at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments to 10 matches.

Vacherot’s streak was ended in the French capital by Auger-Aliassime, who produced a near-flawless performance against the Shanghai champion to win in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, and advance to the semifinals of the Paris Masters.

Following his triumph, the Canadian predicted what he thinks will happen to Vacherot after enjoying a breakthrough season on the ATP Tour.

Felix Auger-Aliassime discusses Valentin Vacherot’s future

Auger-Aliassime had a breakthrough season of his own in 2022, when he claimed four tour-level titles and reached a career-high ranking of sixth in the world.

When asked in his post-match press conference what the difficulties will be for Vacherot after announcing himself to the tennis world, the world number 10 responded: “It depends on his mentality.

“Either you anticipate all these difficulties or you actually anticipate all that is positive. I think he’d rather be world No. 40 than 204.

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“If I were him, I would say: ‘Well, it was a wonderful season. I actually had a breakthrough’. Of course, the opponents will know him better, but he’ll learn to know his game better, and he’ll learn how to improve his game as well. So it’s a wonderful situation in which he is right now.

“We shouldn’t think and look ahead too much, and think about everything that could happen. He’s a nice guy, and I wish him the best. His season was exceptional, and I think it can carry on.”

Felix Auger-Aliassime says what went wrong after his breakthrough

In the seasons that followed Auger-Aliassime’s breakthrough year on the tour, his ranking fell to as low as 36th in the world.

“I always believed, despite what happened throughout the years,” he said, discussing his drop-off after 2022.

“I knew there were adjustments needed, but with ills and woes, I actually managed to learn as a sportsman.

“Everything went well until the age of 22, and then there were some issues. But it’s not dramatic. I managed to learn when experiencing this rough patch with my close ones, with my staff, how I could actually be in control of myself and my career.

“Now I feel more mature than at 22. And it’s funny, looking back. When I think about this ranking and this level, my mindset is different. When you’re on the rise, you think, oh, what’s happening if I drop down?

“What if I’m grabbing some spots, and all of a sudden I’m going down again? And this is not the case here.”

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