Served with Andy Roddick

Shanghai Open 2025 Men’s Final Reaction | Quick Served
Date: October 12, 2025
Host: Jon Wertheim (filling in for Andy Roddick)

Episode Overview

In this special “Quick Served” emergency episode, Jon Wertheim delivers a heartfelt, rapid-fire recap and reaction to the dramatic, unpredictable 2025 Shanghai Masters men’s final. The tournament’s climax? A fairytale showdown between two underdog French cousins—Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech—both former Texas A&M teammates, who stunned the tennis world by reaching (and contesting) the championship match. Jon dives into the improbable journey, the family dynamics, and the tournament’s wide-ranging significance for tennis at large.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Unlikeliest of Finals

• Unusual Matchup at a Big Event:

  • “[In] the Shanghai final, the final no less, Valentin Vacherot beat Arthur Rinderknech and people would say, well, why would that be an impressive result? ... These are not too prominent names in a tournament that was loaded with them.” (03:09)
  • Both players entered well outside the top rankings: Vacherot outside the top 200; Rinderknech outside the top 40.

• A Family Affair:

  • “If you were a college tennis fan...you might think this was a Texas A&M challenge match result from the pre Covid 2018 era. ... If you were a really hardcore fan, perhaps you know these two are cousins.” (03:40)
  • Jon highlights their family ties and college background—playing together under coach Steve Denton at Texas A&M.

• High-Quality, Emotional Tennis:

  • “It was heartwarming. It was heart-stopping. It was really high-quality tennis. And I think that’s something that may have gotten lost a bit in the results.” (04:20)
  • The final was marked by visible emotion—both cousins cried, and the camera signature signaled a moment of family pride.

The Valentin Vacherot Story: From Obscurity to Glory

• Career-Defining Week:

  • “He played and lost in the first round of the Saint Tropez challenger event and won about €1,900...he’s about $1.1 million wealthier than that a few weeks later.” (05:12)
  • Jon underscores Vacherot’s meteoric journey: The player wasn’t even eligible to qualify for the US Open and was a ninth alternate at the start of the Asia swing, only to storm through the Shanghai draw.

• Quality of Opponents:

  • “He beat a handful of very fine players—Holger Rune, Bublik, he beat Griekspoor, who had previously taken out Sinner. Of course, he beat Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.” (05:39)
  • Vacherot’s run included victories against established names, culminating in straight-set wins.

• Persistence and Margins:

  • “I mean, again, there's a player ranked 874 who beat Vacherot eight weeks ago. What must he be thinking now?” (14:04)
  • The episode stresses the razor-thin margins in professional tennis and the virtue of “sticking with it.”

Arthur Rinderknech’s Standout Tournament

• Career Milestone:

  • “I think Arthur Rinderknech gets a lot of credit...for the first time in his career is in the top 30.” (08:23)
  • Rinderknech, age 30, earns a career-high ranking after an impressive tournament, including victories over Zverev and Medvedev.

• Sportsmanship & Support:

  • “He could not handle his first cousin in that emotional final, but until then, he had a really fine tournament.” (09:23)
  • Jon lauds Rinderknech for his composure and graciousness in defeat, applauding the family dynamic.

College Tennis as a Pathway

• “A Real Win for College Tennis”:

  • “We talk a lot on this podcast...about how college tennis is really becoming not just a viable pathway, but an advisable one.” (07:00)
  • The cousins’ success is cited alongside other recent college standouts like Ben Shelton and Emma Navarro.

• Texas A&M Shoutout:

  • “Special shout out to the Texas A&M sports information director...it was fun reading about it on the college tennis website.” (07:46)

The Monaco Connection

• Small Nation, Big Moment:
  • “Let’s stop and note this is a big win for Monaco tennis, the Principality of Monaco. ... They now have a Masters 1000 champion in Vacherot.” (11:25)

Novak Djokovic’s Perspective

• A Missed Opportunity:
  • “Spare a thought for Novak Djokovic. ... All you have to do is beat a player outside the top 200 and then beat his cousin who's not in the top 40 to win a big title. That didn't happen.” (12:24)
  • Djokovic, aged 38, loses a golden opportunity in what’s otherwise been a relatively lean period of titles.

Takeaways: Hope, Margins, and the Magic of Tennis

• Persistence Rewarded:

  • “You never know when a magic week's going to come. I'm going to keep going and persevere. And then what do you know? You get into the qualifying draw....now he is in the top 40 and is more than a million dollars wealthier.” (13:34)

• Advice from the Pros:

  • “The best advice [Arthur Rinderknech] received was a question...from his former coach, Sébastien Vuille: 'Just keep doing your thing. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Keep going. Don’t get upset when things aren’t perfect.'” (16:11)

• A Sport of Thin Margins:

  • “The margins are so thin...sometimes there's a whole sector of players whose ranking—they’re in triple digits...But this has to be fueling and catalyzing and giving hope to so many players on the margins.” (15:25)

• A Story for the Heart:

  • “This is a heartwarming story. I think it speaks really well of tennis. It speaks really well of possibility. ... Hearts could stand to be warmed.” (18:46)

Memorable Quotes

“This is one of the great tennis stories I can recall in recent memory.”
— Jon Wertheim (02:22)

“Nothing will ever touch the Williams sisters...but this is awfully close. This is a real tennis family.”
— Jon Wertheim (06:35)

“Plots change in a hurry in this sport. It’s a real virtue of tennis, and it’s persistence.”
— Jon Wertheim (13:11)

“Just keep doing your thing. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Keep going. Don’t get upset when things aren’t perfect.”
— Sébastien Vuille’s advice, cited by Jon Wertheim (16:11)

“I defy you to find a better story than the one we had in the Shanghai final this week.”
— Jon Wertheim (19:38)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:05] — Introduction, context, emergency episode
• [03:09] — Matchup overview: two underdog, little-known finalists
• [05:12] — Valentin Vacherot’s improbable rise
• [08:23] — Arthur Rinderknech’s career-high achievement
• [11:25] — The significance for Monaco tennis
• [12:24] — Novak Djokovic’s surprise defeat and context
• [13:34] — The power of perseverance and thin margins in tennis
• [16:11] — Motif of “imperfection” and advice from mentors
• [18:46] — Emotional and thematic wrap-up

Tone and Language

Wertheim adopts an animated, conversational tone—deeply respectful of the moment’s importance, blending statistical insights with color commentary and emotional resonance. His style is warm, slightly awed, and celebratory.

In Closing

Jon Wertheim’s “Quick Served” special captures a lightning-in-a-bottle moment for pro tennis—two cousins, underdogs both, stunning the tour and the world in Shanghai. Their run reaffirms tennis’s unpredictability, rewards for persistence, and the enduring power of sporting family. As Jon says, “Hearts could stand to be warmed”—and this story does just that.

Note: Andy Roddick will return for the next episode, with Rick Draney as a guest, and more to come as the “silly season” of tennis winds down.