David Goffin has played his final match at Wimbledon.
Goffin, the former world number seven, was defeated in the first round of qualifying on Tuesday.
World number 229 Andrea Guerrieri defeated Goffin 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 in Roehampton.
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Amid the furore over the decision not to award Dan Evans a wildcard for the Wimbledon main draw, David Goffin’s name has been overlooked.
Simply put, the Belgian star should have been awarded a Wimbledon wildcard ahead of his retirement at the end of this year.
David Goffin was overlooked for a Wimbledon wildcard
David Goffin has achieved more at Wimbledon than any of the players who were awarded a wildcard for the men’s singles draw – bar perhaps Grigor Dimitrov, who reached the semi-finals in 2014.
The Belgian, a former ATP Finals runner-up, is a two-time quarter-finalist at the All England Club.
In 2019, Goffin defeated Daniil Medvedev and Fernando Verdasco on his way to the last eight.
Goffin reached the same stage two years later, beating Frances Tiafoe en route.
Of the Wimbledon wildcards, not even Stan Wawrinka – who is also retiring at the end of this year – has achieved as much as Goffin at Wimbledon.
Wawrinka, a three-time major champion, has never advanced past the fourth round in South-West London.
Wimbledon Men’s Singles wildcards
- Grigor Dimitrov
- Jacob Fearnley
- Arthur Fery
- Jack Pinnington Jones
- Toby Samuel
- Stan Wawrinka
- Harry Wendelken
In truth, it is a shame that a player of Goffin’s talent and legacy was not afforded the opportunity to say goodbye to the Wimbledon.
Instead, the Belgian said his final goodbye to the tournament at Roehampton.
David Goffin’s reaction after playing his last Wimbledon match
“It’s a really emotional and special day,” the 35-year-old said during his post-match interview on Tuesday.
“Of course, it was my last time here in Wimbledon on grass.
“It means a lot. It was a lot of good memories at Wimbledon – two-times quarter-finalist, a lot of good matches. It was always like a surface that I was really happy to play on.
“On those courts… it was always probably the best courts we could play on.
“Right now, after the match, a lot of matches are coming in my mind. It’s only the positive that I can remember from those courts, those matches, the level I can have on that surface.
“At the end, I’m really happy.”
