Belgian David Goffin has conveyed his delight at breaking the top 10 barrier after a semifinal showing in Rotterdam last week.
The 26-year-old entered the top 10 of the ATP singles rankings with a semifinal victory over the Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Saturday.
Goffin first announced himself on the tour with success in the ATP 250 event in Kitzhubel in 2014 and has been a regular in the top 20 ever since, becoming the first Belgian player to reach the top 10.
Delighted at feat
“Really, I didn't know,” the Belgian told the media after being quizzed on the achievement after his triumph over Herbert.
“It was the speaker who announced it when I left the court.”
Goffin revealed that he was “super happy” and was quick to emphasis the importance of staying consistent as a top 10 player – “there is no room for errors.”
His ranking peaked after successive semifinal appearances on the golden swing – Indian Wells and Miami – last year and he quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with on the hard courts.
A fourth round showing at Wimbledon and a premature first round exit to Jared Donaldson at the U.S. Open had the Belgian heading back to the drawing board.
However, he was on the cusp of reigning supreme in Tokyo in the fall of last year but was agonizingly undone by the Australian Nick Kyrgios.
Solid 2017
Consistency has characterized Goffin’s ascent to the top 10 and the Belgian has began 2017 strongly.
After exiting the ATP 250 event in Doha at the second round to eventual semifinalist Fernando Verdasco, Goffin reached the quarterfinal at the Australian Open.
He backed his strong display down under with a final showing in Sofia, downed by Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets.
He exacted revenge on the Bulgarian in Rotterdam but, despite being a set up on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, could not hold his nerve.