Despite the unpleasant surprise that fell on Friday with the decision of the Wimbledon organizers to no longer give a wild card to the winner of the Ilkley Challenger, David Goffin remained focused on his subject to win his first tournament since the Louvain-la-Challenger. New in January 2023.
“It’s the consequence of the level of play that I display,” explained the person concerned after his victory over the Frenchman Harold Mayot in the final: 6-4, 6-2. This success will also allow our compatriot to regain a place in the top 100 with an 82nd place in the world: “I do not focus on the ranking, but on the work to be done to be as efficient as possible during each match. C This is what I’ve been working on for a few months and I’m happy to see that it’s already bearing fruit. It was hard to get out of the top 100, mentally, for confidence. “Hang on. Fortunately, I was able to count on the support of my family. I’m back.”
Against Marc Polmans this Monday at Wimbledon
The Liégeois will have to quickly refocus since he will enter the Wimbledon qualifiers this Monday. He will challenge the Australian Marc Polmans (ATP 212) in the first round, from noon.
“I had five difficult matches, but the level of play was there and that gives me a lot of confidence for Wimbledon and for the rest of my season,” continued the man who won his 9th title in a Challenger in England, with at less success on each surface (hard, grass, clay). “This title means a lot. It’s been a long time since I won a tournament. So it’s nice, but above all I played very well. And that’s the most important thing.”
David Goffin will not be the only Belgian to start qualifying for Wimbledon this Monday. Zizou Bergs, who narrowly missed (Editor’s note: he missed two forfeits) the main draw will play against Omar Jasika, a 27-year-old Australian, ranked 210th in the world. Finally, Joris De Loore will face the Argentinian Camilo Ugo Carabelli (ATP 114).
