Goffin on Shanghai run: 'I want to show my daughter I can still play tennis'

David Goffin credits his resurgent form at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to the desire to prove to his three-week-old daughter, Emma, that the level of tennis that propelled him to No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings was still in reach.

Goffin produced a vintage performance on Wednesday to upset second seed Alexander Zverev, prevailing 6-4, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of an ATP Masters 1000 for the first time since 2021. The 33-year-old Belgian, who is currently World No. 66, became the fourth-lowest ranked quarter-finalist in Shanghai tournament history.

An incredible moment for @David__Goffin as he stuns No. 2 seed Zverev 6-4 7-5.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/nZU2LJq2e1

Having largely competed on the ATP Challenger Tour over the past two years, Goffin has recently begun to resurrect the form that drove him to the final of the Nitto ATP Finals in 2017.

“I wanted to show my daughter that I can be a good tennis player,” said Goffin, who will face Taylor Fritz for a spot in the last four. “We tried to find a few more years to show her that I can still play tennis, and that’s the case for the moment. Even if she doesn’t realise yet, hopefully she will come and watch a little bit.

“Sometimes you have doubts about your fitness and your head. If you're not 100 per cent there, mentally, it’s tough to compete with those guys - the level is so high. I have put a lot of hard work in [over] the past few months and there is no [surprise] the tennis came back and I am really happy to be back again in the quarter-finals of an ATP Masters 1000.”

Goffin, who was hampered by injuries following the 2021 US Open, has shown glimpses of his best tennis over the past few months. After making the semi-finals at the Winston-Salem Open, Goffin produced a strong run to the third round at Flushing Meadows.

This week in Shanghai, Goffin ousted 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti in a thrilling battle before denying Zverev in his quest for a second title in 2024.

“I have built confidence from the beginning of the tournament. Match after match, I was playing better and I just came on the court and tried to play my best tennis,” added Goffin. “[I tried] to stick to the plan that I had with my coach and it worked. Even though he came back with some good rallies, I just tried to stay positive because I was on the right way to winning the match. It paid off in the end with a really good service game to finish, so I am really happy with the win.”

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