LONDON: When a player admits moments after a match that he needs to rest his body, the alarm bells start to ring.
David Goffin underlined his status as one of Belgium’s best players all time with another milestone at the ATP Finals. Four days after becoming the first man from his country to defeat a world No.1 player. He became the first to progress to the semifinals of the prestigious ATP Tour Finals. An event with a prize pool of $8 million.
Whilst everything appears to be going smoothly for the 26-year-old. There are concerns about how the impact of his success is having on his body. Since the US Open Goffin has been wearing tape on his left knee. Something he continues to do to help him ‘feel better.’
“I’ve been playing with the tape since the US Open because it helps me to feel better with the tape. I prefer to keep it until the end of the season.” He explained.
Moving around the court smoothly, it could be argued that the issue isn’t a big thing. Then again, when Novak Djokovic’s elbow began to give him trouble he decided to soldier on. Hoping that with the support of his team he would overcome the problem without missing tournaments. That unfortunately turned out to not be the case for him.
Goffin also finds himself in a tricky situation with resting currently not an option. As well as making waves in London this week, he will be hoping to guide Belgium to Davis Cup victory over France. The country has never won the competition, settling for runner-up in 1904 and 2015.
“The Davis Cup, just before I decided to play, I needed some rest, I was still feeling (pain in) my knee sometimes, and I needed some rest since the Davis Cup in September.” Said Goffin.
“I took the decision to play with the tape, to play every tournament. That was the good choice. If you see the last couple months of the season and the semi final here (London), it was a good choice. I will try to fight like that until the end.”
“I will need some rest for my knee, that’s for sure.” He added.
The admirable fighting spirit of Goffin is one that deserves recognition. Since September he has won back-to-back titles in Shenzhen and Tokyo. Following on from that, he has reached the semifinals in Basel. Now with more potential history making looming in London and the Davis Cup, he has vowed to give it his all.
“I just try to play match after match. I don’t think about how well I’m feeling, if I’m 100%, if I’m fresh mentally. There is just a maximum five matches until the end of the season for me. I will try to play match after match and try to win as much as I can and do my best.”
Goffin is a fighter and that will see him through the rest of the season. Whether or not that will have severe consequences on his body in the future remains to be seen. Sometimes a battle is not always worth the fight.
