David Goffin will retire from tennis at the end of the year.
After losing his first four matches of the year, Goffin shared his plans to retire on social media.
During his career, Goffin beat Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, reaching a career-high ranking of seventh.
But what is he really like as a person? Kim Clijsters answered that very question on her ‘Love All‘ podcast.
Kim Clijsters says David Goffin is ‘very, very funny’ behind the scenes
“I’ve got to know him pretty well over the last few years,” said Clijsters.
“He comes across a little bit of an introvert, and a little bit of a shy guy, but he’s very, very funny.
“It’s been really nice to get to know him, to get to know his sense of humour.”
She continued, reflecting upon Goffin’s stellar ATP Tour career.
“Of course, over the last few years, he’s had a lot of injuries that he’s had to deal with,” said Clijsters.
“It’s been hard, but at the same time, he’s had such an amazing career.
“He wasn’t the strongest, wasn’t the tallest player, he didn’t have the best or the fastest serve, but he’s such a beautiful player to watch, and his technique and his movement, his timing…
David Goffin’s career highlights
- Career-high ranking – 7th
- Four Grand Slam quarter-finals
- 2017 ATP Finals finalist
- 2019 Cincinnati Open finalist
- Two-time Davis Cup finalist
- Six ATP titles
- 21 top-10 wins
“Definitely a big inspiration to a lot of the younger kids in Belgium.”
Clijsters then shared how she initially reacted to the news of Goffin’s retirement.
“When I saw the video, I was like ‘Oh my god, that’s a chapter that’s going to close!’” she said.
“It’s part of it, right, you see these players that you have watched since they first came on tour and they’re deciding to call it quits, it’s a little bit emotional, but knowing what I know, and knowing the tennis family that you can fall back on when you stop playing is so incredibly big, really exciting to see what will be next for him.
“I do think that David is definitely finished when he finishes this season. He just had a baby daughter, so he’s onto the next chapter in his life.
“But he’s still very much involved with tennis in Belgium, and the video was recorded in his home club, so the roots are very strong, which is exciting to see.”
Goffin has plenty to look forward to post-tennis, but there’s still work to do before then!
What’s next for David Goffin in 2026?
The Belgian hasn’t made the best of starts to his 2026 campaign…
Goffin is 0-4 this year, struggling on the ATP Tour and Challenger Tour.
David Goffin’s 2026 record
- Pau Challenger 1R [LOSS] vs Giulio Zeppieri
- Play In Challenger 1R [LOSS] vs Joel Schwaerzler
- Indian Wells Q1 [LOSS] vs Tseng Chun-hsin
- Cap Cana Challenger 1R [LOSS] vs Roberto Bautista Agut
In fact, he hasn’t won an ATP Tour main draw match in 180 days (Shanghai Masters 2R vs Ben Shelton).
He now sits 179th in the world rankings, with just 335 points to his name.
It’s unclear when and where he will return to tennis, but with his current ranking, he will likely need wild cards to play any ATP Tour events.
Goffin will surely receive a wild card for the European Open in Belgium later this year, but could be given more before then.
A former French Open quarter-finalist and two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist, Goffin may be rewarded for his efforts with an entry into the main draw.
But only time will tell…
