David Goffin had different plans for the evening. Knowing that his final tournament as a professional could end at any moment, the Belgian had other things to do on Wednesday in Brussels. However, his plans changed significantly as he fought back from the edge of a defeat to earn another match in front of his home crowd.
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“I’m going to have to cancel the evening I booked!” Goffin joked after defeating Remy Bertola 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 in the first round of the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open.
“It was both the most beautiful and the toughest entrance onto the court I’ve ever experienced.”
The match nearly ended Goffin’s farewell before it had properly begun. After dropping the opening set, he recovered to level the contest, only to fall 0–3 behind in the decider. He also faced a point that would have put him two breaks down, leaving him perilously close to an early exit.
With the crowd firmly behind him, the former World No. 7 dug deep. He won six of the final seven games, broke Bertola at 4–4 and served out the match, sealing the victory with a forehand winner after two hours and seven minutes. Goffin then soaked in the applause, visibly moved by the reception from the Belgian fans.
The win marked his first tour-level victory of the 2026 season. Goffin announced in March that he would retire at the end of the year, making Brussels his final tournament. A first-round defeat would have brought his professional career to a close in front of his home supporters, but the comeback bought him at least another day on court.
Goffin admitted that the nerves had been difficult to manage early in the match. The crowd’s support, however, helped him settle down and find his rhythm. He also thanked his friends, family, teammates, wife, and daughter for sharing the moment with him.
“Everything was perfect, I couldn’t have asked for more,” he said. “It means so much to me to have lived this moment.”
The Belgian made it clear that he had no intention of treating the win as the end of the story. He will return to the court on Thursday to face American Alex Michelsen, the World No. 37 and a recent US Open quarter-finalist.
“And we go again tomorrow! It’s not over, there are only four matches left—what is that in a career?” Goffin added.
The challenge against Michelsen will be a difficult one, but Goffin has already secured something special from his final tournament: another opportunity to compete and one more chance to give his home crowd a memorable farewell.
Steve Darcis Questions Why Belgium Never Fully Appreciated Goffin’s Achievements
Goffin’s emotional farewell has also revived a discussion about how his career has been undervalued in Belgium. Former Belgian player Steve Darcis believes his compatriot never received the recognition his achievements warranted, despite reaching the top seven in the world and competing with the sport’s biggest names.
Speaking to Belgian outlet RTL Sports, Darcis gave Goffin a remarkable endorsement. “For me, he’s the best player we’ve ever had in Belgium, and in Belgian sports, he remains a benchmark,” he said.
Darcis pointed to the success of Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters as one reason for those high expectations. Both women reached World No. 1 and won Grand Slam titles, setting an extraordinary standard for Belgian tennis. In Darcis’s view, that history made it harder for fans to appreciate Goffin’s own achievements.
“We have a player who reached world No. 7, and that’s not enough in people’s eyes. He beat everyone and played two Davis Cup finals,” Darcis said. Goffin also won six ATP singles titles and reached the 2017 ATP Finals championship match, defeating Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer during that tournament.
“He won titles and had an incredible career. But I think we were so spoiled by the women that this perhaps feels a bit underwhelming, even though it’s remarkable,” Darcis added.
As Goffin plays out his final tournament, Darcis’s words offer a reminder of the scale of his career. The reaction to Wednesday’s comeback showed how much he means to the home crowd. Whether he can beat Michelsen and extend his farewell again remains to be seen, but his achievements have already secured his place among Belgium’s most accomplished tennis players.