David Goffin on Shanghai run: ‘I want to show my daughter I can still play tennis’ | ATP Tour
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Goffin running in Shanghai: ‘I want to show my daughter I can still play tennis’
The Belgian reaches the first ATP Masters QF since 2021
October 09, 2024
Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
David Goffin upsets second seed Alexander Zverev at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Written by Jerome Coombe
David Goffin credits his renewed form at the Rolex Shanghai Masters with a desire to prove to his three-week-old daughter that the level of tennis that propelled him to No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings was still within reach.
Goffin produced a vintage performance on Wednesday to upset second seed Alexander Zverev, winning 6-4, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 from 2021. The 33-year-old Belgian, currently the World No. 66, he became the fourth player to reach the quarterfinals in the history of the Shanghai tournament.
It’s an amazing time @David__Goffin as he competes with No. 2 seed Zverev 6-4 7-5.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/nZU2LJq2e1
– ATP Tour (@atptour) October 9, 2024
Competing on the ATP Challenger Tour, Goffin has recently started to rekindle the form that took him to the Nitto ATP Finals in 2017.
“I wanted to show my daughter that I can be a good tennis player,” said Goffin, who will face Taylor Fritz in the last four. “We tried to get a few more years to show him that I can still play tennis, that’s it for now. Even if he doesn’t realize it yet, I hope he will come and watch a little.
“Sometimes you have doubts about your fitness and your head. If you are not 100 percent there, mentally, it is difficult to compete with those guys – the level is very high. I worked very hard [over] a few months ago and nothing [surprise] tennis is back and I’m very happy to be back in the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000.”
Goffin, who has been hampered by injury following the 2021 US Open, has shown glimpses of his best tennis in the past few months. After making the semifinals at the Winston-Salem Open, Goffin produced a strong run in the third round at Flushing Meadows.
This week in Shanghai, Goffin knocked out 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti in a thrilling battle before denying Zverev in his quest for a second title in 2024.
“I have built up my confidence since the start of the tournament. Match after match, I was playing better and I just got on court and tried to play my best tennis,” added Goffin. “[I tried] sticking to the plan I had with my coach and it worked. Although he came back with good rallies, I just tried to stay positive because I was on the right track to win the game. It paid off in the end with a great finish, so I’m very happy with the win.”
