Benoit Paire was unable to give a concrete answer to if he will play a Grand Slam tournament again after crashing out in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday.
The former top 20 player fell 6-0, 7-6(1), 6-0, to Wimbledon semi-finalist Cameron Norrie in a match where he produced a costly 57 unforced errors and won just 24% of his second service points. During the second set, Paire boasted a 5-3 lead before losing it and argued with the umpire after he was issued with a warning for too much coaching. The Frenchman was speaking to his team during a pause in the match after a fan fainted.
Towards the closing stages, Paire looked beaten before the match had ended and was seen packing his rackets into the bag whilst down 5-0 in the third set. It was an all too familiar situation for the 33-year-old who has previously spoken about his struggles with motivation on the Tour and has been accused by some of tanking during matches.
After his latest loss, Paire admitted that he is unsure if he will play again this year. He has only won four matches out of 26 played in 2022 and is currently ranked 173rd in the world. Placing him in danger of exiting the world’s top 200 for the first time since 2010.
“It’s a turning point,” Eurosport quoted Paire as saying during his press conference.
“Bad start to the match. It’s a little while since I’ve hit the ball. I stopped after Cincy [Cincinnati Open].
“I took a little holiday. Now I’m going back on holiday, so it was just a little break between my holidays. I did what I could.
“I was winning 5-3, I should have been able to take the second set. it would have done me good in the head, but my demons are back again.
“The double faults and that started again, always the same. I do what I can. I’m 167 in the world (he’s 173rd), I let myself go, we’ll see where it goes.
“I’m not sure to continue this season, maybe to stop here and see if I start again next year.
“For now, I need a bit of rest. I’m signed with Rennes, but really I have to cut it.”
A former top 20 player, Paire has won three Tour titles and made 46 appearances in a Grand Slam tournament. The biggest win of his career occurred at the 2017 Madrid Open when he defeated Stan Wawrinka who was ranked No.3 at the time.
The question is how much longer will he continue playing? When asked by a journalist if he would play in another major after the US Open, Paire was unable to provide a definitive answer.
“I won’t say that this is the last time that we’ll see me in a Grand Slam,” he said.
“If I can rediscover the motivation and the desire, I think that the tennis is always there.
“In training, I feel very good. If my head really wants to come back, it will all come back very quickly.
“However, if my head says ‘you’ve played enough, that’s 13 years that you’re on the circuit, I can’t give any more’, it’s my head that decides, not my body.
“I’m not saying that it’s over, but in these conditions, it’s difficult to project/look forward. It’s a saturation. If the head come back, I know that I will be a good tennis player.”
Paire has only won back-to-back matches at the US Open once in 11 attempts.
