Benjamin Balleret: Working in the dark, winning in the light with half-brother Valentin Vacherot | ATP Tour

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Benjamin Balleret: working in the dark and winning in the light with his half-brother Vacherot

Monaco details his journey taking Vacherot to new heights

January 23, 2026

A few years ago, Valentin Vaccello would sometimes show up at ATP Challenger events just to watch his half-brother, Benjamin Balleret, play.

In the evenings, the two Monegasques would play a few balls together, and then Vacherot, who was still a student at the time and not really thinking about turning pro, returned to his studies. Tennis was something he enjoyed, not something he chased, but today, the roles were reversed. Now, ballerinas watch from the side of the court, coaching the 27-year-old Vaccello to compete among the elite ranks of the ATP Tour.

“He played tennis just for fun,” Valleri told ATPTour.com, recalling Vaccello’s teenage years. “He went to school and played with his coach from 5 to 8 p.m. He kept doing that until he was almost 18. I would take him to some challenge matches in Italy just to watch my games. It wasn’t serious and it wasn’t very professional.”

What once felt like a casual introduction to tour life has evolved into one of the most compelling coach-player partnerships, one built not just on contracts but on family and faith. The relationship made global headlines in Shanghai last October when Vaccello surged through qualifying to become the lowest-ranked champion in the history of the ATP Masters 1000 series (since 1990).

Ironically, Vaccello began supplying Shanghai with a player ranked No. 204 in the PIF ATP Rankings – the same career-high ranking that Valere had reached during his career. Balerei, now 43, admits that he never had the success as a player that he had hoped for, but the lessons learned have become central to who he is as a coach.

Before joining Vaccello full-time in 2022, Balerei built an impressive coaching resume, guiding Gilles Muller to a career-high world ranking of 21st and working with Pierre-Hugues Herbert for four years, including three Grand Slam doubles titles. Those experiences helped shape a philosophy rooted in consistency rather than quick fixes.

“Every player, every person is different,” Balerei said. “There are certain things that are important to me as a coach: work, respect… no matter who you coach, those have to be there. [You have to] Work hard, respect and trust each other. Beyond that, you have to adapt to each player. “

After Vaccello completed four years of collegiate tennis at Texas A&M University, he played alongside his cousin Arthur Lindeknych, whom he later defeated in the Shanghai final, and the brothers officially joined forces. What follows is a season of steady progress, tough losses, and continued emotional investment.

“Sometimes it’s difficult because what happened in Shanghai took a while,” Balerei explained of the sacrifice. “Because he’s my brother, it’s a lot harder when you don’t get the results you want, when you feel like you’ve lost a lot and you think you shouldn’t have, some bad loss.

“But we never stopped believing, working hard and trusting each other – that was more important. And then Shanghai happened… I think everyone talks about it enough, but to stick with it until the end was really unreal.”

Valentin Vacherot, Benjamin Balleret” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2026/01/22/13/47/vacherot-balleret-coach-spotlight-2026.jpg”>_{^{Valentin Vacherot and Benjamin Balleret celebrate in Shanghai. Photo: Zhang Lintao/Getty Images.}}

Mentoring family members also has its challenges, especially when the emotional line between success and disappointment is thin. For Balleret, learning when to step back as a brother and when to step in as a coach is key to maintaining relationships and results.

“I think sometimes it’s easier to tell things to your brother,” Balerei said. “The most challenging part is the emotional part. When we win, I try not to get overwhelmed by the victory because it’s my brother too and I’m happy for him. It’s the same with the losses. Sometimes it’s difficult when you’re losing badly and not being at the bottom, so I try to be honest with him.

“I know him really well, better than almost anyone. So that certainly helps. But we’re not together 24 hours a day… We try to spend quality time together. It’s easy. Most of the day, I’m his brother, not his coach.”

Shanghai also represents recognition of the wider support team that has been carefully assembled over several seasons.

“Val and I, we’ve been working hard for three years to put together a team that can help him achieve his goals,” Balleret said. “That’s why he works with his fitness coach Julien, his physiotherapist Antoine, his psychological coach Isabelle. And his girlfriend Emily… We try to work together, for all these people, not just for Val and me.

“I’m happy with the success of Shanghai and all the work that everyone put in in the dark has paid off. We’ve been working in the shadows for so many years. Now Val is more in the spotlight and everyone is more in the spotlight. We’re not chasing the spotlight, but you just feel good about achieving a goal, being around top players, playing against these guys every week.”

Vaccello proved that Shanghai’s championship was not a one-off. He quickly climbed into the world’s top 40, reached the quarter-finals in Paris two weeks later and was seeded No. 30 at the 2026 Australian Open, his first main draw appearance in Melbourne.

So where do they go next? For Balleret, the focus remains the same.

“This year, Val’s goal is to play against the best players and try to improve every week,” Balleret said. “Maybe he’ll play this guy and lose to this guy, but then what can you improve on to beat this guy? That’s going to be the main challenge for Val and me this year.”

Young Valentine once watched the game from the stands without any expectations. More than ten years later, the situation has completely changed. The ballet dancer is no longer an object to be observed. Instead, he was the steady presence behind the scenes, guiding his half-brother through the greatest moments of a career that, not so long ago, felt like little more than a game.