David Goffin, Belgium’s number one tennisplayer

Belgium has always been a land of tennis. We have had some great champions in the past, such as Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. Today, another national champion is thrilling the country thanks to his intelligent game and impressive legwork.

Born in Rocourt in 1990, David Goffin started playing tennis at the age of six with his father, a coach at the club in Barchon. After years of training, Goffin decided to turn professional in 2009. While many male tennis players make their mark with their "large" stature and the power of their shots, David Goffin is much lighter, something that he compensates for by his outstanding game quality.

He started to make a name for himself on the international stage in 2012 when he reached the last 16 in Roland Garros and proved to be somewhat of a challenge for his idol Roger Federer. Although he did not win the match, his resistance to this tennis legend created quite a stir. After making little headway in the ATP ranking (Association of Tennis Professionals) for a while, he decided to focus on less prestigious tournaments. A wise decision, since these helped him to gain in confidence and experience and, above all, to climb the world ranking. Within a few months, David Goffin progressed from 106th to 22nd position. This rise was hailed by the ATP, which awarded him the 2014 Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Since then, Goffin has continued his ascent competing in some great matches at Grand Slams, Masters and other tournaments. After an impressive final in Rotterdam in 2017 against the French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, he entered the ATP top 10 players for the first time, thus becoming the first male Belgian player to achieve this level on the international stage. After, falling in the ranking, David is now in 7th position, ahead of players such as Warwinka, Djokovic, Tsonga, and Murray. And, although Belgium did not beat France in the last Davis Cup, Goffin offered great hope and much emotion for the Belgian people who supported David and his team-mates in their efforts.

Although he has already had a very impressive career, David Goffin still has many great prospects ahead of him. Who knows where hard work and plenty of practice will lead this young tennis player?