2026 has been a tough year for men’s tennis, for a handful of reasons.
Naturally, the painfully long absences of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have completely dominated the headlines and are what most point to when describing this phenomenon.
However, there has been another sad element, and that is all the high-profile retirements the sport has suffered.
2024 was a tough year, as tennis lost both Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal to retirement.
Who will you miss the most of these retiring legends? 😢
2026 will see the ATP Tour wave goodbye to the likes of Gael Monfils, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and many, many more.
Yesterday saw David Goffin join them.
David Goffin’s head-to-head record vs the Big Three, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Although he was never the best player in the world, his legacy remains impressive.
After all, he remains the first and only Belgian man to be ranked in the world’s top ten, having ascended to seventh in the world in 2017.
During that standout season, Goffin reached the Australian Open quarter-finals and the US Open fourth round, and recorded his victories over Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
He actually finished his career with a relatively respectable losing record of 5-2 with the Spaniard, but lost seven of eight meetings with the Serbian, and nine of ten against the Swiss superstar.
It’s a testament to his longevity that he also boasts a few matches against both Alcaraz and Sinner.
Although he never beat the current world number one in two attempts, Goffin will actually retire with a positive record over Alcaraz, having won two and lost just once against him.
What did David Goffin say after his last-ever professional match?
Goffin was unsurprisingly emotional after he played his last-ever match yesterday.
He lost in a hard-fought clash against Alex Michelsen at the Brussels Open, in front of a home crowd who were there to celebrate his wonderful career.
The Belgian received kind messages from Nadal, Grigor Dimitrov and Richard Gasquet, to name but a few, and then, when given the chance to speak, admitted: “It’s not easy.
“Throughout my career, I believe I always tried to give the very best of myself. I believe I tried to …to progress, to give everything I had to try to reach the highest level possible, and to become a better tennis player and a better person throughout all these years. And now, it’s clear that one chapter is coming to a close, but another is beginning.
“It has been a wonderful path, a magnificent career; I’ve savoured every moment. Now, it’s simply time to move on to the next chapter and pass the torch to the new generation of Belgian tennis players.”
