At 31, the French
Benoit Paire
boasts a remarkable career.
He has never reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam, but he has three ATP titles, in 2016 he was among the top 20 in the world rankings and, among other things, he has won eight million euros in prizes.
A career finish at the height would go through raising another trophy or standing out in some 'big', but that is not his intention.
Since the coronavirus disrupted the tennis circuit last year, Paire has fallen into laziness and is not hiding.
His results are unequivocal: in the last year, only two wins and 13 losses, most of them without celebrating a single set.
His words are even more enlightening.
After losing this Thursday in the first round of the Acapulco Open against
Stefanos Tsitsipas, he
told L'Equipe: "I lost in the first round and that's better for me. I'll be able to leave the bubble and enjoy a few days before playing in Miami. I'm looking forward to stepping on it. the beach or the pool. Tennis is not my priority right now. I just want to get out of the bubble, that's my goal in all tournaments "
The Frenchman expressed his demotivation and his discomfort at having to chain anticovid bubbles to be able to play.
"I'm not happy at all on the court. My parents tell me 'You are not the Benoit Paire we know'. Tennis players who love tennis, who only have that in mind and train 24 hours a day are happy and the bubble gives us It changes. But those of us who like the environment, life, freedom, eating and enjoying themselves, this is very hard.
Gael Monfils
was very sad in Australia and
Denis Shapovalov
has also said that he is playing few tournaments to be in the bubble at least possible. This circuit is not for us. But the truth is that I am better here than in France, where we must confine ourselves at six in the afternoon. "
"When I go to tournaments I get there, win some money and go to the next tournament. I do my job. The surprising thing about the current circuit is that by losing you can win a lot. If you win an ATP 250 tournament you get $ 30,000, but in some tournaments, you get 10,000 dollars despite losing in the first round. Why go crazy to win a little more? ", confessed Paire, who acknowledged that he does not see a possible improvement in the future:" I have stopped training, I do not take the racket outside of games. It doesn't make sense to pay someone on the circuit now. Now I don't have a coach or a physical trainer. I'm not training and I'm not ready to play big games. "
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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