David Goffin ended his 17-year professional tennis career on Thursday by losing in the second round of the Brussels tournament to American player Alex Michelsen, El Nuevo Diario reported. Michelsen won the ATP 250 encounter 6-3, 6-4 in the Belgian capital.
Final Match in Brussels Against Alex Michelsen
Goffin, who is nearly 36 years old and has slipped to 657th in the world rankings, stepped onto the court in front of his home fans knowing it would be his last competitive appearance. Facing the 37th-ranked Michelsen, the former Belgian number one struggled to sustain momentum, falling in straight sets.
Following the final point, Goffin fought back tears while addressing the crowd. “Ha pasado todo rápido. Recuerdo los buenos momentos y ahora he llegado al final. Es difícil.”
Goffin Reached World Number Seven and Four Grand Slam Quarterfinals
Goffin reached his career-high singles ranking of seventh in the world in 2017, competing in an era dominated by the sport's "Big 3" of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Over nearly two decades on the ATP tour, he secured six singles titles and became the singular Belgian tennis player to qualify for the season-ending ATP Masters.
His consistency on the sport’s biggest stages included four quarterfinal appearances at Grand Slam tournaments: Roland Garros in 2016, the Australian Open in 2017, and Wimbledon in both 2019 and 2022.
Early Round Results at the Brussels Tournament
Alongside Goffin’s farewell, the ATP 250 event in Brussels featured several other second-round matches. Top-seeded Frenchman Arthur Fils advanced after his opponent, Spain’s Jaume Munar, did not present himself for the match, according to tournament brackets reported by El Nuevo Diario and Unitel.bo. Sixth-seeded Belgian Zizou Bergs defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-4, while second-seeded Czech player Jiri Lehecka overcame Belgian wildcard Raphaël Collignon 6-4, 6-2.
