“A night I’ll remember”: Goffin reflects on how he shocked Alcaraz
The Belgian notched a prestigious victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the round of 64 at the Miami Masters 1000
Carlos Alcaraz and David Goffin (Julien Nouet for Tennis Majors)
David Goffin created a sensation by beating Carlos Alcaraz (5-7, 6-4, 6-3) in the round of 64 at the Miami Masters 1000. It was a victory that restored his confidence and proved that he can still compete with the elite.
He knew from the off he was going to have a good match: “I like this centre court. I feel great, and when I came around 5, 5.30 just to warm up on that court, I felt, ‘OK, yeah, I’m moving well, I’m feeling quite relaxed, I hit the ball really well, so hopefully it will be the same during the match.'”
He added: “I started the match well. I had the break in the first, and he started to play really well at the end of the first.
“But I was like, ‘OK, just continue, you’re playing well, you’re not that far [away] in the first set, try to serve a little bit better, just continue to be aggressive with the return.’
Goffin : “the kind of night that I will remember for sure”
“I was feeling great. Game after game, I was feeling better, and then in the third I was feeling I was playing much better, and I had a few opportunities for double break, and then I finished with another break at 5-3, so yeah, it’s the kind of night that I will remember for sure – against Carlos, and on a stadium like that, and the night, that gave me a lot of confidence to continue.”
With a clear game plan, Goffin knew how to disrupt the Spaniard: “I knew that I had the game to cause him some trouble, and so I had a clear game plan, but sometimes he’s too good, even if you have the game plan and you have to do it perfectly to have opportunities, and that’s what I did, especially in the second and in the third.
“It’s great when you have the game plan and it’s working well. It’s a great feeling.”
I have some good matches every year, and sometimes when everything is aligned, like tonight, I can do some damage against every player.
At 34, he is proving that he can still win against the best. “When you’re turning 35 this year, sometimes it’s tough to be consistent every week, to feel great physically every week, to feel strong, to recover well. Sometimes you have weeks that your legs are not like they used to be, and sometimes you feel, ‘OK, I feel OK, I’m still feeling 25!’ and you don’t know why it’s not like that every day!
“I have some good matches every year, and sometimes when everything is aligned, like tonight, I can do some damage against every player.”
For a place in the last 16, Goffin will face Brandon Nakashima.
