Valentin Vacherot explains why Novak Djokovic is so good, ‘I was completely drained’

Novak Djokovic defeated Valentin Vacherot, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 in the first round of the Paris Masters.

The Serb was down a set and a break before battling back to secure his place in the second round. After losing their first career meeting, Djokovic beat Vacherot in Paris to tie their head-to-head at 1-1.

Vacherot was understandably disappointed with the defeat, but what went wrong for the Monegasque? Speaking to French media after the match, he delivered his verdict on what happened against Djokovic.

Valentin Vacherot says Novak Djokovic pushed him to his ‘limit’ and left him completely drained

“I was frustrated, but that’s tennis; congratulations to him! He didn’t make a single mistake; he pushed me to the limit, right up to my breaking point, and mentally I was completely drained. Physically, I was still there, but it was really my mind that was failing me,” said Vacherot.

The 2026 Swiss Indoors champion continued, highlighting what he needs to do more to better compete against world-class players like Djokovic, following his exit from the Paris Masters.

“I haven’t played against enough elite players yet; I haven’t faced [Jannik] Sinner, and even though I played [Carlos] Alcaraz once, I felt a bit of that Monte Carlo semifinal euphoria on my home court. Facing Novak [Djokovic] is something else entirely,” he said.

Vacherot boasts an impressive 5-5 record against top-10 players, although on closer inspection, his comments begin to make sense. He has only played two matches against players ranked between first and fourth, and lost them both.

Valentin Vacherot’s record vs top-10 players (5-5)

The world number 27 is still inexperienced against the ATP Tour elite and needs more matches against Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and co. to begin contending week to week.

Djokovic exposed Vacherot’s inexperience in Paris, as the Monegasque struggled to maintain the lead he worked so hard for. Vacherot praised Djokovic after the match, having lost to ‘the most decorated player in history’.

“There was not a huge crowd cheering me on, and he played on that. You’re playing against a mountain, not just a tennis player. For a good part of the match, I managed to focus on myself, but after a set and a break, and then a break back, when he’s no longer making mistakes, you start to look at him more. And that’s when it gets even more difficult. Because he’s the most decorated player in tennis history,” he said.

Valentin Vacherot maintains Australian Open seeding despite Shanghai Masters points drop

When Vacherot shocked the world by winning the Shanghai Masters a year ago his tennis life changed. He was no longer playing Challenger Tour events for a few-hundred points, and instead challenged for the sport’s biggest titles.

The issue Vacherot faced was that, having collected the majority of his ranking points from one event, he knew his ranking could plummet if he failed to retain the Shanghai Masters in 2026. Vacherot didn’t go back-to-back in China, but some strong end-of-season form leaves him well-positioned to attack 2027.

Vacherot reached the semi-finals in Tokyo and won the Swiss Indoors, improving his ATP Tour title tally to two, while maintaining his spot in the top-32, which should see him seeded for next year’s Australian Open.

Official ATP Rankings

• 25. Karen Khachanov – 1,940 points
• 26. Alexander Bublik – 1,895 points
• 27. Valentin Vacherot – 1,780 points
• 28. Alexander Blockx – 1,665 points
• 29. Hubert Hurkacz – 1,625 points

Winning his first Grand Slam matches this year, Vacherot reached the third round of the Australian Open and the US Open, and the second round of Roland Garros, while skipping Wimbledon due to injury.

Avoiding any of his fellow seeds until at least the third round in Melbourne next year, Vacherot will surely fancy his chances of adding to his win count down under. The 2027 Australian Open begins on January 17.