It has become a weekly occurrence that France’s Benoit Paire finds himself tangled up in some sort of controversy and the Italian Open is no different.
The former top 20 star took to the court on Monday and faced home player Stefano Travaglia who he lost to in straight sets. Besides yet another loss on the Tour, Paire received a code violation for ‘unprofessional conduct.’ After arguing with umpire Carlos Bernardes over a first serve being called out, which the TV hawk-eye later confirmed, Paire decided to take a photo of the court marking. Even after the match he invited Travaglia to come and look at the mark, which he didn’t.
There is never a dull moment when it comes to the life of the Frenchman on Tour who has opened up about his personal struggles with bubble life. However, he took a swipe at organisers in Rome for another reason.
“I got the vaccine two days ago and asked to play as late as possible because I couldn’t arrive until last night (Sunday at 10 p.m.). In the end, they put me today (Monday) at ten in the morning, I could not even hit the ball once here, I could not train the last days,” L’Equipe quoted Paire as telling reporters on Monday.
“I still have a little pain from my shot from the vaccine, it’s a bit heavy to lift my arm. I knew it. I did what I could.”
Continuing his monologue about life on the Tour, Paire openly admitted that he tries his very best when playing in front of fans. This year’s Italian Open is taking place behind closed doors until the third round. Then in agreement with local health officials the tournament is allowed to welcome up to 25% of their capacity.
“The result is not the most important, the important thing is to spend a little time on the court. As I have always said, with an empty stadium, I take it as a workout. When you know the atmosphere in Rome, seeing the stadium empty is a bit hard. It’s week after week, it doesn’t matter,” he stated.
The ironic thing about the current COVID-19 pandemic and Paire’s unhappiness with the rules in place is that when it comes to the rankings he has been one of the biggest beneficiaries. He is currently ranked 35th in the world, despite only winning two matches out of 11 tournaments played so far this season. This is due to adjustments to the rankings calculations to help support players who may encounter troubles travelling to certain tournaments during the pandemic.
“I will keep my Marrakech final because I keep half the points and I won there (in 2019. The tournament was cancelled in 2020). I had a fourth round at Roland and I will keep a third round no matter what, I will keep a third round at Wimbledon, I will keep my final in Lyon. I’m not worried,” he explained.
“Even if I go down, I will go down 50th in the world. Just when things get better and the pandemic has passed, we will have to rediscover the pleasure of being on a court.”
One of the most remarkable views of the 32-year-old is that his lack of wins on the Tour hasn’t dented his confidence. In fact, he openly states that he will return back to peak form when the Tour’s COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed and he plays in front of people every week. Suggesting that all this time he hasn’t been playing to his full ability out of choice.
However, what if this plan of Paire’s backfire? His home Grand Slam, the French Open, is less than a month away. At Roland Garros he will be hoping to rely on the support of the public who will be allowed to attend on a restricted basis. Even though he has recently been barred by the French Tennis Association (FFT) for playing at the upcoming Olympics due to his recent behaviour.
“I will train myself. I’m trying to find a trainer, to find help on the physical level. I’m not saying I’m giving up. I do not give up,” Paire assures.
“I’m just saying it’s tough at the closed-door tournaments right now. I am quite sensitive and when I see that I am making good shots and that nothing is happening on the court, there is no noise. Whether I do a double fault or a winning stroke, it’s exactly the same.’
“In Roland (Garros), there will be a few people, I will try to find a little fun even with friends of mine and try to be ready. And if I’m not ready, it will be for the next tournaments.”
It remains to be seen what the future has in store for Paire. Fortunately for him, the ATP has recently sent a document to players outlining an easing to restrictions related to COVID-19. Meaning players will have more freedom during tournaments. Could this enable him to be more consistent and less controversial on Tour? Only time will take on this one.
