A fairy tale of three cousins at the Shanghai Masters

Last Sunday, the 2025 Shanghai Masters concluded to widespread attention, with the podium occupied by two cousins, Vasherro and Lindknech. When runner-up Lindknech emotionally mentioned Vasherro’s coach Barrett in his acceptance speech, we learned that Barrett is actually Vasherro’s half-brother on their mother’s side. Barrett’s role as both elder brother and coach has been crucial to Vasherro’s achievements. In a later interview, Barrett shared in detail, painting a picture of Vasherro’s development journey—a long voyage marked by family, trust, patience, and the pursuit of excellence.

The story begins with a sense of destiny: Barrett, Vasherro’s half-brother, was himself once a professional tennis player, reaching a career-high singles ranking of world No. 204 — the exact ranking Vasherro held before entering this Shanghai Masters, despite being 16 years younger.

This seems like a silent passing of a family mission. Now, Barrett serves as Vasherro’s coach, pouring all his dreams and experience into his younger brother. Barrett rightfully deserves credit as the foundation of Vasherro’s success.

However, the path to becoming a Masters champion was not clear or straightforward from the start. When Vasherro was 18, standing at a common crossroads for young tennis players, the family made a crucial and forward-thinking decision.“He was very skinny then, physically immature, and not mentally ready,” Barrett calmly analyzed as the older brother. They resisted the usual temptation to turn professional early, and after internal discussions, recommended Vasherro attend college in the United States.

“To study tennis and train, plus there are excellent coaches there. He took our advice because I believed he chose the path for the future,” Barrett explained. “Even with my help, it would take years for him to develop into a top 100 or top 50 player.”This decision reflected the rare patience and wisdom of this tennis family. They avoided rushing success, instead choosing a path focused on long-term growth and solid foundations. At the University of Texas, Vasherro not only honed his skills but also matured mentally and physically.

College became Vasherro’s “incubation period.” Meanwhile, Barrett did not stand still; he began his coaching career and accumulated valuable experience. The brothers seemed to be building momentum on parallel tracks, united by a shared commitment.“I always had this thought: when Val returns from college, if he still wants to be a professional player and hopes I can help him, I want to help him because he is my brother...” Barrett recalled.This promise came true in the summer of 2021. Returning with a stronger body and firmer determination, Vasherro and his brother Barrett truly started their professional journey from scratch.

Barrett instilled in his brother not only tactics and skills but a philosophy of gradual growth: “No matter if you reach your goal, whether you’re ranked 200 or top 50, if you want to keep moving forward, you should give your all to realize your full potential. You never know what might happen. If you’re ranked 200, you can push to 150; if you’re 150, then aim for 100. Always set the next goal.”

Yet the road was far from smooth. When the coach-player relationship is mixed with family ties, every victory’s joy and every loss’s bitterness become magnified many times over.“Sometimes you lose confidence. After a bad loss, managing emotions is tough because this is family, not just a player you work with. That alone is hard. When you really want to achieve your goals, and it’s your brother, it’s even more so,” Barrett admitted the journey was challenging.

Because of this, when Vasherro lifted the champion’s trophy under the Shanghai Masters spotlight, all those emotions finally found release. From world No. 204 to Masters champion, this long journey is especially moving because of the brothers’ side-by-side support.

What Barrett shared today is undoubtedly a valuable blueprint for countless families dreaming of tennis success. It shows that success sometimes requires detours, strong family support, rational planning, and an unrelenting pursuit of excellence without fixating on results.And perhaps the best part of this brothers’ story is that it is far from over — it is just the beginning of an even more brilliant chapter.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Mei)