David Goffin will retire from tennis at the end of the 2026 season.
The former world number seven announced his retirement on social media earlier this week.
There’s still plenty of tennis for Goffin to play between now and the end of the year, though.
In fact, Goffin is in action right now, at the Monte Carlo Masters…
David Goffin wins his first match of the year in Monte Carlo
Goffin struggled at the beginning of the year, losing his first four matches.
| Date | Match | Opponent | Result | Score |
| February 9 | Challenger Pau – 1R | Giulio Zeppieri | LOSS | 6-7, 7-5, 1-6 |
| February 17 | Play In Challenger – 1R | Joel Schwaerzler | LOSS | 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 |
| March 2 | Indian Wells – Q1 | Tseng Chun-hsin | LOSS | 4-6, 1-6 |
| March 12 | Challenger Cap Cana – 1R | Roberto Bautista Agut | LOSS | 1-6, 4-6 |
Searching for his first win of the year, and his first since announcing retirement, Goffin entered the Monte Carlo Masters qualifying event.
There, he met the qualifying second seed, Ignacio Buse.
Goffin dropped the first set 2-6 and looked to be heading towards another tough defeat.
But the Belgian fought back brilliantly, taking the second 6-3, to force a decider on Court Rainier III.
Goffin took the third set 6-3 to defeat his Peruvian opponent and pick up his first win in 161 days (Paris Masters Q1 vs Hamad Medjedovic).
David Goffin vs Ignacio Buse – Match stats
| Stats | David Goffin | Ignacio Buse |
| Aces | 0 | 6 |
| Double faults | 4 | 2 |
| 1st Serve % | 61% | 43% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 67% | 73% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 52% | 44% |
| Break points | 5/6 | 4/6 |
He will now move forward to play Emilio Nava in the final round of qualifying.
Should Goffin win that match, he’d advance to play his 11th Monte Carlo Masters main draw.
How well has David Goffin played at the Monte Carlo Masters?
Goffin has always played well in the principality, winning 60% of his matches at the Monte Carlo Masters.
That makes the event his third-most successful at the Masters 1000 level.
David Goffin’s Masters 1000 record
| Tournament | Best performance | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Indian Wells | SF – 2016 | 8-8 | 50% |
| Miami Open | SF – 2016 | 16-11 | 59% |
| Monte Carlo Masters | SF – 2017 | 15-10 | 60% |
| Madrid Open | QF – 2017 | 7-9 | 44% |
| Italian Open | QF – 2015, 2016, 2018 | 14-9 | 61% |
| Canadian Open | 3R – 2015, 2016 | 4-8 | 33% |
| Cincinnati Open | F – 2019 | 14-10 | 58% |
| Shanghai Masters | QF – 2016, 2024 | 12-6 | 67% |
| Paris Masters | 3R – 2015, 2016, 2017 | 4-6 | 40% |
He came closest to winning the title back in 2017, reaching the semifinals.
Goffin defeated Steve Darcis, Nicolas Almagro, Dominic Thiem, and Novak Djokovic before losing to Rafael Nadal.
He’ll certainly be hoping he can rediscover that form should he reach the main draw this year…
Who could David Goffin play in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters?
If Goffin beats Nava and secures himself a spot in the main draw, he could play any of the following seven players.
- [10] Flavio Cobolli
- [11] Jiri Lehecka
- Denis Shapovalov
- Matteo Berrettini
- Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
- Marin Cilic
- Corentin Moutet
Of the seven, Goffin would likely choose to play Marin Cilic, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, or Matteo Berrettini.
Their big serves aren’t quite as powerful on the clay, and like Goffin: Cilic, Mpetshi Perricard, and Berrettini haven’t been anywhere near their best in 2026.
He won’t want to get ahead of himself thinking about the first round just yet, though.
First, Goffin will need to beat Nava when they meet on Sunday, March 5.
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