"I have no regrets and I gave everything until the very end" - David Goffin's time in tennis at an end as retirement confirmation met with emotional tributes

David Goffin's career has finally come to a steady halt following his most recent defeat at the European Open. Alex Michelsen's 6-3, 6-4 victory marks the end of the Belgian's spell as a professional tennis player on home soil following almost 15 years competing at the top level.

The 35-year-old has enjoyed quite the career. A trailblazer in his own country, Goffin is the first and only Belgian player on the ATP Tour to have made it into the top 10. He is the head of the next wave of talents coming from that part of the world, including Alexander Blockx, Zizou Bergs and Raphael Collignin, all looking to prolong this legacy.

He started to make an impression in 2016 after reaching back-to-back semi-finals in the Sunshine swing and making it to a first Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros. His impressive form continued in 2017 as he not only qualified for the ATP Finals but also made it all the way to the final, losing to Grigor Dimitrov.

He was involved in a grand total of four major quarter-finals, a Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati, earning two Davis Cup runner-up accolades from 2015 and 2017 while playing in 15 ATP finals, winning six of them from 2014 to 2022. The biggest coming at ATP 500 level at the Japan Open in 2017.

His 2026 season has been mostly played on the Challenger Circuit, with his ranking too low to compete in other major tournaments. He announced that the 2026 campaign will be his final one back at the end of March, and a sensible end tournament would have been in the Belgian capital.

He got off to a winning start, taking down lucky loser Remy Bertola 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a valiant comeback. He would not be able to continue his tennis career any longer, falling to get the better of the No.5 seed who sailed through in an hour and a half, thus marking the end of a great tennis career.

The emotions were vissible at the end as Goffin realised that it was it. He was handed a personal trophy on court while the crowd stayed to watch and applaude the Belgian great. He told the ATP website how delighted he was to have enjoyed a career like his own.

“I’m proud of all my career,” Goffin said. “I gave everything to try to reach my goals. I’m proud of the attitude that I always had in front of the difficulties that I had in my career. I’m proud of the wins I had, the opponents I beat. A lot of things I’m really proud of. But in the end, I have no regrets and I gave everything until the very end.

“A younger version of myself would say that it’s quite a good career, quite good emotions with the impressive places that I played [at], like a stadium with a crowd, the Davis Cup ties that I played. Hopefully a younger David would be impressed.”

The tributes have been pouring in since. Fellow countryman, Collignon had some kind and inspirational things to say. “I think David is a great champion and to have him in our country is like an inspiration for young kids, to believe in their dreams because he did crazy things,” he commented.

“He was Top 10 in the world. He beat all of the Big Three; Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. He’s the biggest inspiration for all of us and it’s a huge honour to play with him today in doubles. Everybody wants to play good tennis, but I think the most important thing is to be known as a good person. David is a very good person, always the first one to give some advice to me, to try and be a mentor. And I think his game speaks for itself. He’s an unbelievable player. It was a joy to grow up watching him.”

They were supposed to continue their doubles campaign alongside each other after reaching the quarter-finals, but Goffin withdrew.

On the big screen, the tributes continued. It was led by none other than Rafael Nadal. “Hello David. How are you doing, man? I just want to congratulate you on your amazing career,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion said. “It has been a huge pleasure to share practices, matches, great moments together on the tour.”

Retired French talent and former rival Richard Gasquet stated, "David, this video is to congratulate you in your great career, It has been an honour to share this time with you. You are truly an extraordinary person and an extraordinary player.”

Dimitrov, who defeated Goffin in the 2017 ATP Finals final, had this to say. “Congratulations on your incredible career and amazing journey, my dear friend. Thank you for sharing the court with me for so many years.”

Goffin will now go into the next part of his life, closing this chapter but in turn opening another one. While he will not compete on the ATP Tour ever again, he will still be a cherished name for many tennis fans who will look back fondly on his legacy.