David Goffin’s career at the Monte Carlo Masters came to an end on Sunday after the Belgian was ousted in a three-set epic during the final round of qualifying.
Goffin, who is a former world No.7 and four-time major quarter-finalist, was beaten by America’s Emilio Nava 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(2) in a roller-coaster battle that lasted more than two-and-a-half hours. During the match, he broke Nava twice, but neither of those occurred during the deciding set. The loss comes just a day after Goffin upset second seed Ignacio Buse in three sets.
“I just wanted to give everything for that match,” Goffin told reporters after losing to Nava.
“My last tournament here in Monaco, a tournament that I love, so I just had to give everything, even if from the start it was tough. I just had to fight, find some solutions, and try to win more matches.
“But it was not the case today. Yesterday was great to beat a great player, and today was also a great one, but in the end it was tough.
“It was a dramatic match, but it was fun.”
Recently, the 35-year-old confirmed that this season will be his last before he retires. During his career, Goffin has won six ATP events and reached the final of nine others. He was runner-up at the 2017 ATP Tour finals and the 2019 Cincinnati Masters. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem are some of the players he has beaten when they were ranked in the world’s top 10.
As for the reason why now is the right time to wind down his career as a professional athlete, Goffin explains that it is due to the combination of his physicality and mentality on the Tour.
“The end of the last season was not easy,” he admits.
“I was top 50, and then I had the foot injury for a few months, and then at the end of the year, it was my knee for a few months, as well.
“I started the season pretty late this year, so it was not only physically, but it was part of the decision.
“It was also mentally. It had an impact on my mental, motivation, and then the ranking dropped a little bit.”
Goffin is currently ranked 179th in the world. So far in 2026, he has played in three Challenger and two Masters events, but he has yet to register a main draw win. His only win was over Buse in Monte Carlo qualifying.
“You have to ask yourself what you’re ready to do to come back in the top 100 or top 50. You know what you have to do, the effort you have to do. Sometimes you just have to be honest with yourself and say, “Am I ready to do it?” Goffin continued.
“I think it’s not easy because you have to make a lot of effort to come back, and I’m not sure that physically I’m ready for that.
“The decision (to retire) was not easy to make but in the end, I’m happy with my decision.”
Should all go to plan, Goffin will retire on home ground at the European Open in Brussels, which will start on October 19th. He is unsure about his plans for life after tennis, but this isn’t important at the moment.
“The time now is just to enjoy every moment on the court, and then there will be a moment to think about all those (future) opportunities and try to find my way,” he concluded.
