David Goffin will retire from tennis at the end of the 2026 season.
Belgium’s Goffin said retirement was ‘one of the hardest decisions of his life’ in a video posted to his Instagram account.
The 35-year-old was once ranked as high as seventh in the world, but now sits outside the top 150.
As Goffin draws the curtain on his tennis career, what better time than now to look back at his greatest-ever win?
David Goffin said his win over Roger Federer in 2017 was the best of his career
Goffin will never forget his trip to London for the ATP Finals in 2017.
Entering the competition as the seventh seed, few expected Goffin to make it out of the group.
But he did just that, picking up shock wins over Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem.
2017 ATP Finals – Group Pete Sampras
| Rank | Player | Win/Loss | Sets won/lost | Games won/lost |
| 1 | Grigor Dimitrov | 3-0 | 6-1 (85.7%) | 42-19 (68.8%) |
| 2 | David Goffin | 2-1 | 4-3 (57.1%) | 33-34 (49.2%) |
| 3 | Dominic Thiem | 1-2 | 3-5 (37.5%) | 35-43 (44.9%) |
| 4 | Pablo Carreno Busta (replaced Rafael Nadal) | 0-2 | 1-4 (20%) | 15-27 (35.7%) |
| – | Rafael Nadal | 0-1 | 1-2 (33.3%) | 17-19 (47.2%) |
Advancing to the semifinals, Goffin faced the unenviable task of taking down Roger Federer, who went unbeaten in the other group.
2017 ATP Finals – Group Boris Becker
| Rank | Player | Win/Loss | Sets won/lost | Games won/lost |
| 1 | Roger Federer | 3-0 | 6-2 (75%) | 49-36 (57.6%) |
| 2 | Jack Sock | 2-1 | 4-4 (50%) | 41-42 (49.4%) |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | 1-2 | 4-5 (44.4%) | 43-45 (48.9%) |
| 4 | Marin Cilic | 0-3 | 3-6 (33.3%) | 41-51 (44.6%) |
Federer, the second seed, made a strong start, storming into a 6-2 lead at the O2 Arena.
It seemed like Goffin’s dream run had come to an end, but he refused to be beaten.
Taking his game to another level, the Belgian fought back, winning the second set 6-3, to force a decider.
Maintaining that level in the final set, Goffin beat Federer 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, to book his place in the final.
He was understandably delighted with his performance, declaring the win the best of his career during his post-match press conference.
“I think so, yes,” said Goffin.
“Both are really special. It was the first time against Rafa [Nadal]. Then the semifinal was the first time for me here, and to beat Roger [Federer] for the first time in such a big event, big tournament, it was the perfect moment.
“Yeah, it is the best win of my career, for sure.”
Unfortunately for Goffin, he was unable to finish the job in the final, as he lost to Grigor Dimitrov for the second time in a week.
- 2017 ATP Finals RR – Grigor Dimitrov defeated David Goffin, 6-0, 6-2
- 2017 ATP Finals F – Grigor Dimitrov defeated David Goffin, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
Goffin never returned to the ATP Finals, but that hasn’t stopped him from beating some of the best players on tour.
David Goffin has beaten Carlos Alcaraz twice
Goffin picked up his first win over a world number one at the 2017 ATP Finals when he beat Nadal.
He then defeated the Spaniard again, three years later, at the ATP Cup.
His third and final victory over a world number one came at the 2022 Astana Open in Kazakhstan.
Ranked 66th in the world, Goffin met the top seed and tournament favorite, Carlos Alcaraz, in round one.
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Delivering one of the finest performances of his career, Goffin upset Alcaraz in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3.
Alcaraz had to wait three years for a chance at revenge, and by that time had dropped to world number three.
The pair met in the second round of the 2025 Miami Open.
It was the Spaniard who made the better start, securing a late break to take the opener, 7-5.
But just as he did against Federer eight years earlier, Goffin stepped up to the challenge.
He won the second set 6-4, and the third 6-3, to produce one of the shocks of the 2025 season.
To this day, Goffin leads Alcaraz in their head-to-head.
Carlos Alcaraz and David Goffin’s head-to-head record
- 2025 Miami Open 2R – David Goffin defeated Carlos Alcaraz
- 2022 Astana Open 1R – David Goffin defeated Carlos Alcaraz
- 2021 Great Ocean Road Open 1R – Carlos Alcaraz defeated David Goffin
If Goffin can avoid Alcaraz between now and the end of the year, he will retire with a priceless winning head-to-head record against the seven-time Grand Slam champion.