David Goffin in the BW Open final: “I would have preferred to face Djokovic this Sunday”

After this joke which made all the fans present at Blocry laugh, the Liégeois analyzed his performance against one of his training partners.

”It was not an easy game. Gauthier has a special game, he’s a bit of a rogue. He feels the game well. He does not have big shots but he plays fair and is precise. Once he counters, once he plays a little higher, then suddenly he strikes. He also knows how to get to the net against time. He is able to make his opponent play badly. I couldn’t find the rhythm on the return, I missed easy balls. I had to stay focused. Having won the first set by playing a good tie-break, I felt better and relaxed. Everything seemed easier to me in the second race. I remained calm so as not to fall into his trap. Gauthier had a good game.”

The Belgian number one also analyzed what this good week in Walloon Brabant could bring to the AFT Team Pro player: “I’m not going to talk about a click because his game was settled and he didn’t have a week of hitting everything and everything was coming back. Mentally he will perhaps realize that he can win matches in Challengers. With his performances of the week he will get closer to the top 250 and therefore to qualifying for the Grand Slams. I really hope that this week will give him confidence for the future.

For his part, the former finalist of the Masters in 2017 was pleased with his choice to have returned to Belgium to participate in this Challenger 125 set up by Vincent Stavaux and Christophe Dister: “I feel serene and calm. Winning four games in a row makes me feel good. Coming to this tournament was a good choice before leaving for the Davis Cup. The form is coming back, even if I am not yet playing at my best level. It’s nice to see that there is a craze around me. It’s cheerful and that’s what I was also looking for when I came to Louvain-la-Neuve. Although it could be a trap tournament if I hadn’t come here with humility.”

In the final this Sunday (4 p.m.), our compatriot will challenge the Swede Mikael Ymer, 69th in the world: “I never played against him. On a slow surface like here, it will not be easy to pass him, in addition he counters well. We will have to play and attack at the right time. It will be a big fight.”