World No.204 Valentin Vacherot's statement after dumping out Novak Djokovic says everything

Valentin Vacherot demonstrated his quality after securing the most significant triumph of his career against 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in the Shanghai Masters semi-final.

Sitting at No. 204 in the world rankings, Vacherot was nine spots below the qualifying cut-off when he arrived in China several weeks ago. However, he managed to enter the qualifiers and has now claimed eight consecutive victories to become the lowest-ranked player in history to reach a Masters 1000 final.

His finest moment arrived on Saturday, as he shocked a physically struggling Djokovic 6-3 6-4. The Monegasque qualifier kept his celebrations modest upon clinching victory, recognising that Djokovic had been battling fitness issues.

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Following his progression to the final, Vacherot ensured he acknowledged everyone who had influenced his career whilst expressing his desire to remain grounded.

"I don't know how long it went, it was one hour, 40 [minutes] of pure joy even though not many people wanted me to keep going," Vacherot said on Sky Sports after getting the opportunity to face Djokovic for the first time in his career.

His true emotions were on show reflecting on the experience of beating such a legend in Djokovic, as Vacherot added: "He's really, really, really appreciated here, he's won four times, I think, if I heard. I got a bit lost in all of his titles when they were announcing him!

"But unreal experience, and now I'm probably just going to enjoy the win tonight and think about the final tomorrow."

The 26-year-old is now preparing for his final match after a life-changing run that will see him pocket at least £448k and catapult into the world's top 60 - a first for him.

Despite this, he remains grounded, attributing his humility to his upbringing and the teachings of his family and past coaches.

When asked about his humble approach, the world No. 204 shared: "First of all, how I got taught to live life, how I grew up, always stay your feet on Earth, thanks to my parents, thanks to my family."

He continued: "Already, when I was growing up, my brother, Benjamin [Balleret], that's over there, was playing on the tour and he was ranked most of his career around 200 in the world, and for me, that was unreal to be around 200 in the world."

He also expressed gratitude towards his coaches at Texas A&M University, saying: "Thank you to Steve Denton, Kevin O'Shea, and all the coaches in Texas A&M because they taught me the same thing, just to work hard. This is probably where I learned to be a professional tennis player and stop just playing for fun, to really work as a professional and to be as high in the ranking."

Finally, he thanked the Monaco federation, stating: "And [I want to] say thank you to the Monaco federation, we're such a small family and we're pushing each other. Yes, I might be the first one in singles, but Hugo [Nys] has made a final of Grand Slam in Australian Open in doubles.

"Romain [Arneodo] won Monte Carlo, Hugo has won Rome Masters 1000. I'm just happy. Just watching them gave me a little bit of ideas, even though it's singles, I know, it's different.

"I want to say thank you to everyone who put a little brick in my career because they taught me how to be down on Earth and to fight, and this is probably why I'm here today."

Vacherot had some extra support in his box on Saturday, as his fitness trainer and Melanie-Antoinette de Massy, president of the Monte-Carlo Country Club, were among those who jetted in for the semi-final. And the world No.204 will no doubt hope to make them proud again in Sunday's final.