Goffin contemplated retirement, now surging at US Open

pa href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/david-goffin/gb88/overview'David Goffin/a has reached the second week at every major, climbed to No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings, made the championship match at the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/nitto-atp-finals/605/overview'Nitto ATP Finals/a and claimed six ATP Tour titles. The 33-year-old Belgian has nothing to prove and at the end of last season, sitting outside the worldrsquo;s Top 100, contemplated his future./p

pldquo;I was like, lsquo;Oof, what am I doing? I am playing so bad. I cannot hold my racquet anymore. What do we do now? Is it enough for me or not? Can I do it physically? Am I still as fast as before? The endurance, is it still there or not? The tennis, am I too late?rsquo;rdquo; said Goffin, who was struggling with his knee at the time. ldquo;I donrsquo;t know. A lot of doubts.rdquo;/p

pThe Belgian was not battling for tour-level titles, but spots in main draws. Was it worth fighting for that? Goffin had a decision to make./p

p ldquo;I still have the feeling that I have good tennis in my racquet," Goffin thought. "I just want to show and prove to myself that I can still do it.rdquo;/p

pThe four-time major quarter-finalist is showing that this week at the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/us-open/560/overview'US Open/a, where he is into the third round. It is the first time he has advanced that far at this event since 2020, when he claimed an electric four-setter against a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/adrian-mannarino/me82/overview'Adrian Mannarino/a in the fourth round. /p

pldquo;Itrsquo;s like a drug, especially when itrsquo;s a win like that because itrsquo;s a great fight. You suffer a lot, but itrsquo;s good to suffer like that. You suffer physically, but the match, you like it,rdquo; Goffin said. ldquo;Sometimes the past few months were tough because I was struggling with my confidence and my game. So you suffer, but more inside with yourself. So itrsquo;s not easy, itrsquo;s not a good fight. /p

pldquo;But when you fight with your opponent and you like it, you feel your legs, tough rallies, and you just try to stay there and win that match, itrsquo;s something that I will enjoy.rdquo;/p

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pA key moment came in the first round at a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/roland-garros/520/overview'Roland Garros/a, where Goffin defeated Frenchman a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/giovanni-mpetshi-perricard/m0gz/overview'Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard/a in five sets. After losing that match, Mpetshi Perricard became the talk of the tennis world with his big serving at a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/wimbledon/540/overview'Wimbledon/a, where he made the fourth round./p

pldquo;Every win in a Grand Slam is something special, because you have to win it. Especially in best of five, itrsquo;s tough and itrsquo;s a great feeling. I think [the match against Mpetshi Perricard] was a key match in my comeback,rdquo; Goffin said. ldquo;It was a really important one because I proved to myself that I was able to win a good fight again.rdquo;/p

pIn his mind, the victory was a signal that there would be more big wins like it in the future. There was reason to continue pushing forward./p

pldquo;You have to put in a lot of work, you have to make a good schedule, a good structure with the team. Thatrsquo;s what I did with my team and it came back mdash; it paid off week after week,rdquo; Goffin said. ldquo;All of the sudden Irsquo;m close to the Top 50. Itrsquo;s something you see now, it looks easy, but it was not the past few months."/p

pGoffin will play a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/tomas-machac/m0fh/overview'Tomas Machac/a for a place in the fourth round. These are the opportunities for which he has been working hard./p

pldquo;Itrsquo;s a different feeling because I feel that now, coming back from where I was a year ago, I am feeling stronger than before,rdquo; Goffin said. ldquo;Especially mentally because I built from zero something that maybe is stronger than before. Of course, Irsquo;m turning 34 this year and you cannot turn back the clock, but I think I can be stronger mentally and hopefully it will help me to do some great tournaments in the future.rdquo;./p

pTo top it all off, Goffin and his wife, Stephanie, are expecting their first child./p

pldquo;Irsquo;m super excited. Irsquo;m so happy with my wife. Itrsquo;s going to be in two weeks, mid-September,rdquo; Goffin said. ldquo;Shersquo;s calling me every day so Irsquo;m under stress every day, seeing if I have to go back or not. But everything is under control, I can finish the tournament. But we are very excited. /p

pldquo;It is something also that inspired me to show my little girl that her dad is a great tennis player and prove to her that I can be a good tennis player again. When she will be like one or two, in two years, maybe she will understand a little bit more tennis and what I am doing and hopefully she will be proud.rdquo;/p