“This season has made it possible to understand a lot of things about the points that I need to improve for the few years I have left to play. We are in November 2021 and Benoît Paire assures him: changes are necessary and he knows in which directions to work. Three months later, two comments are in order. Either changing his eruptive behavior was never part of his resolutions in 2022; or it is clearly struggling to implement them.
After an encouraging Australian Open, where he took a set from the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round, Benoît Paire is struggling in South America. This Tuesday, in Rio de Janeiro, he was playing his third tournament and coveted a first victory, in vain. Beaten in the first round by the 100th in the world Francisco Cerundolo (6-3, 4-6, 6-2), the 32-year-old Avignonnais, 52nd at the ATP, was seen smashing his racket in the locker room by a correspondent of the newspaper L’Equipe. A video in which he also beats furniture in rage. Last year, during the same tournament, he freaked out and ended up spitting on the court, convinced that his opponent’s service was out.
“Difficult moment.. I know it’s going to turn, I’m making the effort!” “said the sportsman on his Instagram account, who had chosen to avoid the European cold to relieve his back.
Last week, despite three match points, he was eliminated by Serbian Dusan Lajovic (4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)) in the first round of the ATP 250 tournament on clay in Buenos Aires . Same thing at the beginning of the month in Cordoba (Argentina) against the Spaniard Jaume Munar. The Frenchman must now play the tournament in Acapulco, Mexico (February 21 to 27) before moving on to the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells (March 10 to 20) and Miami (March 23 to April 3) in the United States. United.