Overview
- Isner made the assessment on the Nothing Major podcast with fellow former pros, with excerpts circulating widely on X.
- Valentin Vacherot entered Shanghai ranked No. 204 as the ninth alternate into qualifying and won two matches to reach the main draw.
- He defeated Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic before overcoming Arthur Rinderknech in the final to secure his first ATP trophy.
- The victory propelled Vacherot to No. 40 in the ATP rankings, and reporting notes he is one of very few qualifiers to win a Masters 1000 event.
- Critics of the comparison highlighted Emma Raducanu’s singular achievement at the 2021 US Open, where she won 10 matches without dropping a set as a qualifier.