Benjamin Balleret on Valentin Vacherot’s fairy tale journey: “It would have been even better if it was your brother” | ATP Tour
match response
Ballerina on Vaccello’s fairy-tale performance: ‘It’s even more important when it’s your brother’
Coach reflects on his half-brother’s memorable game
October 12, 2025
Rolex Shanghai Masters
Valentin Vacherot celebrated his victory in Shanghai with his coach and half-brother Benjamin Balleret.
Written by ATP Staff
Valentin Vacherot’s stunning victory at the Rolex Shanghai Masters was an achievement that no one will soon forget, least of all his coach Benjamin Balleret.
Vaccello is not just a dancer at the ballet, he is a member of the ballet family. They’re half-brothers, so it’s understandably an exciting time for ballet.
“It’s a long road and sometimes you lose a little bit of confidence. A bad loss, it’s emotionally difficult because it’s the family, not just the players you work with, which is already difficult,” Balleret said. “You want it so bad. But when it’s your brother, you want it even more.
“So there have been some ups and downs. To have Val in front of you today as the Masters 1000 champion is unbelievable.”
Balerei reached No. 204 in the PIF ATP rankings, ironically the ranking Vaccello plays this week. Now, the breakout Monaco star will join the top 50 on Monday.
The 42-year-old ballet dancer began a professional career instead of attending college in the United States, most notably losing to Roger Federer in the third round of the 2006 Rolex Monte Carlo Masters.
However, Vaccello followed his cousin Arthur Rinderknech to attend Texas A&M University. At that time, Balerei began his coaching career, spending two and a half years with Gilles Müller and almost five years with Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
“When Val turned 18, he had several choices to make. He wanted to be a professional tennis player, but his mind and body were not mature enough. He was too thin. His body was not developed,” Balerei said. “We discussed it with the family and we suggested he go to college in the United States. Learn tennis, practice and have a great coach in Steve Denton.”
Vaccello grew up under the tutelage of Denton, a two-time Australian Open finalist. Last year, the Monegasque reached a career-high world ranking of 110th, but the Masters 1000 trophy was not yet a dream.
When the 26-year-old began to advance in the Shanghai draw, the team was aiming to face Jannik Sinner in the fourth round. However, the Italian lost to Talon Grikspur. He eventually faced 100-time tour-level champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
“You say, ‘Well, it’s unbelievable. He got to play Djokovic once in his life’. He ended up beating Djokovic, who was not 100 percent, but still beat him,” Balerei said. “Playing Arthur’s story in the final. Like everyone says, it’s like a movie, like a fairy tale. So that’s how we feel about being in a fairy tale now.”
Now, Vaccello, ranked 40th in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, will get a direct chance to compete in the world’s biggest tournament. As exciting as the win is, they hope it’s just the beginning.
“We’ve said we want to move on,” Balerei said. “I told him right away, ‘Great. We’re going to keep going. We’re going to go again. We’re going to come back loaded again’. We’ll see what happens next.”
