David Goffin will celebrate his 31st birthday next week and it may be his desire to remain injury-free for a whole year. The man from Liege had to end his season early on September 9 due to knee problems. He won just 14 games last season and slipped to 39th in the ATP rankings.
“But things are going well now,” he said from Monaco. “There he spoke to the press for the first time in a long time. “I have been training intensively for two or three weeks now and my knee is not playing. I’m almost physically better and that’s the most important thing.”
“I took my time to take care of myself and come back stronger. It seems to be working. I have a month left before I leave for Australia and everything is on schedule. If you want to walk everywhere in the track again, is that a good sign,” he laughed.
“I especially hope that I can play a whole season without injuries. I want to enjoy the track again and play spontaneously. And so I have to get stronger and I want results again. Of course the competition was not idle. It wasn’t easy before my injury and it won’t be now, but I I believe in my qualities and want to reach my best level again.”
So David Goffin will start in Australia, although the exact schedule has yet to be determined. What is certain is that he will play his first exhibition tournament in Caen this month. “I miss the competitive side. It’s good to play a few games a few weeks before the season to see what I really am.”
Meanwhile, Goffin is training with former captain David Ferrer in Valencia. “We were looking for a place to train and we were immediately welcomed there.” There was no talk of further cooperation. Germain Guigonnon is still coach of Goffin. “But it’s exciting to get advice from the best player in the world. It’s good to know how he views my tennis.”
It looks like Goffin has found tennis fun again. Did the Liege resident also look to the future? “I haven’t worked hard on rehab in the last months and after that I only have 6 months left. I think I still have 4 to 5 years left in me. That’s the goal.”
“When you are 20 you play carefree and you want everything. Now I know myself better and I also know very well what I can do and what I can’t. It helps me. I’m still very motivated.”
