Goffin Encouraged By Roland Garros Run
Goffin Encouraged By Roland Garros Run
The Belgian leaves Paris with his first Grand Slam quarter-final
Despite losing in four sets in the Roland Garros quarter-final on Thursday against Dominic Thiem, No. 12 seed David Goffin showed why he’s been enjoying his best year on tour.
After surviving back-to-back five set matches against Nicolas Almagro and Ernests Gulbis to reach the last eight, it appeared the Belgian was in for an easier day after taking the first set against Thiem and holding a set point in the second set tie-break. After the Austrian erased that set point and Goffin’s 4-2 lead in the third set, the Belgian admitted he ran out of gas in the final stages of the match.
“The balls were soaked with water. The clay was heavy and he was more comfortable during the fourth set,” said Goffin. “He was more aggressive…He had a number of backhand shots along the line that he tried that were in. So he was quite bold, and he succeeded.”
Coming into the match, Goffin led his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry against Thiem 5-2, including a third-round win at this year’s Australian Open. Thiem has raised his level since then, though, and Goffin was full of praise for his opponent.
“There is a lot of trajectory in his balls. They are very deep, and he’s really behind the baseline. He hits very strongly and his arm is powerful,” he said. “I don’t know where this comes from, but he has a natural type of strength he has when he hits the balls. When he opens up the angles with his forehand, that’s when it becomes very complicated for all the other players.”
Goffin has plenty of good memories to take from the tournament. The Belgian reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final on his 20th try. He will also move up to a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 11 when the new standings are released Monday.
He is next scheduled to compete at ATP World Tour events in Halle and Rosmalen. With 24 wins on tour already this season, the Belgian won’t be short on match play as he gets ready for the grass.
“The conclusions are quite positive even though I’m disappointed after this match,” said Goffin. “It’s the first time I’ve reached the quarter-finals in a Grand Slam. It was a very good tournament…I have gained more confidence, and I’ll continue on grass.”