A TENNIS star fell off stage in agony after losing to his COUSIN in a historic final.
Arthur Rinderknech faced his relative Valentin Vacherot, the world No204, in a shock Shanghai Masters final line-up.
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Vacherot was an alternate for qualifying, getting in when others withdrew, then came through the entire field, beating Novak Djokovic in the semi-final.
And the emotional showdown was set when Frenchman Rinderknech won the second semi, leading to a lovely embrace on the court between the relatives.
Vacherot, 26, had only won one ATP Tour-level match before his extraordinary week, sealing the title with a comeback 4-6 6-3 6-3 victory in the final in front of Roger Federer.
That made him the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in tennis history, 52 places lower than the previous record, and the first man from Monaco to win an ATP crown in the Open Era.
The cousins hugged at the net and Vacherot wrote on the TV camera lens: “Grandpa and Grandma would be proud.”
They both then paid tearful tributes to one another during the presentation speeches.
But as Vacherot – whose ranking will soar a whopping 164 places to 40th – spoke on the microphone, crouching Rinderknech, 30, took a tumble off the back of the stage.
He had been struggling physically during the match and there was a dramatic thud.
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Commentators thought he may have cramped up – but laughing Vacherot saw the funny side of his cousin’s discomfort.
He joked: “I think we need some help please!”
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And a physio quickly arrived on the scene with a seat and started massaging Rinderknech’s leg.
A stunned Vacherot – cheered on by his girlfriend Emily Snyder in the crowd – said: “I mean, just all like crying, it’s just unreal.
“What just happened? I have no idea what’s happening right now.
“I’m not in a dream, it’s just crazy.
“I’m just so happy with my performance these last two weeks i just want to thank everyone that has put a brick in my career since the beginning.
“Sharing this final was really tough, there has to be one, but I think there’s just two winners today, one family that won and I think for the sport of tennis, this story is just unreal.
“I wish there could be two winners but unfortunately there’s only one and, for myself, I’m happy it could be me.”
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