The former world number seven David Goffin has heaped praised on ‘inspiring’ veteran duo of Gael Monfils and Grigor Dimitrov.
David Goffin, the first and only Belgian man to ever enter the ATP top 10 has enjoyed a smart run at the Shanghai Masters.
After enduring a battle with a litany of physical issues, the current world number 66 has enjoyed the pain easing off in the last few months.
Having made the semi-finals at the Winston-Salem Open, the Belgian has marched through his opening three rounds in Shanghai.
Helped by his elegant, often explosive shot-making, the 33-year-old has seen off Newport champion Marcos Giron, as well as a notable win over Olympic bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti.
With a recent successful surge, Goffin admitted that without the glorious seasons from Grigor Dimitrov and Gael Monfils, he was close to retirement.
David Goffin explains why Gael Monfils and Grigor Dimitrov were ‘inspiration’
The Belgian, sitting outside the world’s Top 100, contemplated his future in an interview with the ATP earlier this year.
“I was like, ‘Oof, what am I doing? I am playing so bad. I cannot hold my racquet anymore,” Goffin reflected. “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?’ I don’t know. A lot of doubts.
“I still have the feeling that I have good tennis in my racquet,” Goffin reflected. “I just want to show and prove to myself that I can still do it.”
And prove it he did – Goffin admitted after his latest Shanghai win ahead of facing Alexander Zverev that Monfils and Dimitrov’s continued form inspired him on a path for redemption.
“It feels strange,” he told Punto de break. I feel like I’m part of the thirties, but I’m doing very well, and physically I’m one hundred percent; I no longer have pain, so I hope to continue like this. Gael and Grigor have served as inspiration for me because they have been injured, and for example, Gael won a 250 last year in Stockholm.
“Grigor has been playing an incredible season. He started well here last year and then the final in Paris, entering the Top 10 again. We were at the ATP Finals 2017 against Grigor, and seeing him again in the top 10 is incredible.
“We are the same age, so I wondered why I shouldn’t try to climb in the rankings as well. It’s quite inspiring to see what he’s doing. I don’t know if I’ll be able to return to the Top 10, but for now, I have good tennis, and we’ll see how far I can go.”
A lack of pressure is bringing back the best in David Goffin
Pressure can do plenty to waylay the ambitions of even the most steely of players.
For Goffin, his rise in the rankings seems merely academic, as he simply targets a return to playing tennis with a smile and without pain.
When a player sails so close to the wind they nearly call it a day and give up, everything later down the line is just a bonus.
For Goffin, his renewed and liberated sense of self is only going to bring about more success.
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