Valentin Vacherot is now officially Monegasque, a change that makes him eligible to represent Monaco at the Olympic Games for the first time.
His Serene Highness Prince Albert II granted him naturalisation by sovereign ordinance on September 25, which was published in the Journal de Monaco on Friday, October 2. The decree is numbered 12.157, a legal firm says. The 27-year-old became Monegasque from the date of the ordinance.
Until now, Vacherot held only Monegasque “sporting nationality”. That allowed him to play for the Principality on the tour and in the Davis Cup, but not to compete at the Olympics, as the Olympic Charter says athletes must be nationals of the country they represent.
The change makes him eligible for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, provided he qualifies.
The news comes after a season in which Vacherot has become the face of Monegasque tennis. A year ago, ranked 204th in the world, he came through qualifying to win the Shanghai Masters. That made him the first player from Monaco to win an ATP Tour title and the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in history. He has since climbed into the top 20, reached the Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals in April, and this week made the last four at the Tokyo ATP 500.
He grew up in the Principality, went to school there and learned his tennis at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, where he has trained since childhood.