EDITORIAL
>> Admirable for some, detestable for others, Benoit Paire always makes talk. On Monday, he won his match against Damir Dzumhur in the first round of the Rolex Paris Masters at Bercy. A victory that allows him to face Wednesday another French: Gael Monfils. Benoit Paire annoys, divides but does well in tennis according to our editorialist, Virginie Phulpin.
"We love him or we hate him, do not leave him indifferent, it's always good for his sport, Benoît Paire is tennis without filter, he shouts, he whines, he makes fun of himself. He lives, what, it changes us all these players who handle the tongue of wood as well as the racket.
Benoît Paire will never be Roger Federer, that's for sure. Far from the image of Swiss perfection. No, Benoît Paire, it is rather our gifted, but temperamental neighbor. If you are going to see him play, you do not know if you are going to witness a great match, a purge or a memorable anger. And I like this principle of uncertainty in a sport where everything is calculated to the millimeter.
So sometimes, Benoît Paire skids. He swings his racket, his match, or enormities, it depends on the days. Like at Wimbledon, when he said that everything was rotten in this tournament. Or in Shanghai 15 days ago when he started yelling on the court that he wanted to go home, he could not stand being there anymore. Everything can come out of his mouth, everything can come out of his racket. A magic shot, another 10 meters out. Yes, sometimes it's itching to tell him to go and tidy his room. 'Tape in the ball, not on everything that moves!' In 2013, he had treated the public of Bercy morons. Friendly. Last night, he was reconciled with the audience. 'OK, I deserved to whistle at the time'. But look, I'm making efforts. And the public supported him to help him win. It's with personalities like that that we can really see an exchange between the player and the spectators. It feels good, right?
Yes, but Benoît Pair will never be world number 1
It's certain. He is 30 years old, he has the best season of his career. 2 won tournaments and two round of 16 Grand Slam finals. So no, he will never be world number 1. But last week, after his elimination in Basel, he said he was still a champion, whether we like it or not. He is right. When you are 25th player in the world, you are a champion. But it's not just that. It is he who says it. 'I love tennis, but I also like lots of other things'. Like to party with his friends. On his Instagram, we see him a lot with a drink in his hand and the music thoroughly. So what ? It will never be Rafael Nadal, who was married last Saturday, took his Sunday off before getting back to work on Monday. No, that's not the kind of Benoît Paire. I would love to see him win at Bercy precisely for that. Because it relativizes, that it profits from the life, and that it shows its flaws. He makes tennis more human "