David Goffin has confirmed that he’ll be retiring from professional tennis after this season, closing the book on a distinguished ATP career.
The Belgian, who became the first man from his country to break into the world’s top 10, made the announcement through a post on social media. He explained that a lingering knee injury, suffered last season, played a significant role in his decision to step away.
Goffin has long been respected for his consistency and work ethic throughout his time on tour. He spent over 150 weeks inside the top 20 and achieved career-high rankings of No. 7 in singles and No. 158 in doubles.
Goffin often drew strong support wherever he played. However, there was one notable exception at Roland Garros when he found himself unexpectedly booed by sections of the Paris crowd.
David Goffin spoke about the French Open crowd in 2024
In the opening round of the 2024 French Open, David Goffin faced off against home favourite Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Goffin believed the crowd crossed a line, feeling that their support for Perricard went beyond what’s acceptable.
“When you are insulted for three and a half hours, you have to tease the public a little,” he told ESPN.
“Clearly, it goes too far, it’s total disrespect. It’s really too much. It’s becoming football. Soon there will be smoke bombs, hooligans and fights in the stands.
“It’s starting to become ridiculous. Some people are there more to cause trouble than to create an atmosphere.
Someone spat out their chewing gum at me. [The match] was getting complicated. That’s why I wanted to stay calm. If I started to get angry about it, it could have destabilized me.
A lot of umpires feel that there is a lot of disrespect,” Goffin said. “This is repeated a lot in the locker room and among the ATP authorities. We’re going to have to do something about that.”
How Roland-Garros responded to Goffin’s comments
After the match, a Roland-Garros spokesperson addressed Goffin’s complaints by emphasising that while fan enthusiasm is welcome, it shouldn’t cross any lines. “The public are incredibly enthusiastic, particularly on the outside courts,” they said.
“However, they must of course show full respect to all players while doing so. Oversight bodies are in place to make sure rules are followed.
“Although it’s only natural that fans share their excitement and cheer on their favourites, this may not in any case go against the values of tennis or consideration for the players.”
Goffin managed to come through his match with Mpetshi Perricard, grinding out a win in five sets. He responded to the crowd as he left by holding his hands up to his ears.
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