Wimbledon 2022 – Benoît Paire on the lack of points: “It’s the Russians who make a mess”

Benoît Paire, he will lose far fewer points than Novak Djokovic in the case, after going off the road in the first round last year. And yet. Came to a press conference at his request after his defeat against Ilya Ivashka this Tuesday in the 1st round, the Frenchman did not really want to talk about his match but rather about the current situation and this bickering between the ATP and Wimbledon.

“We find ourselves in a situation where in the end the Russians have won”

How will he approach this tournament? In his way. “Me, I’m going to go there to take my check anyway, to play an exhibitionhe explained. Frankly, you might as well go get your check! I will go there with my family. I will go quietly“. But he still does not digest this method, especially after a Covid period which he experienced very badly.

“The only thing is: why did you make this decision without talking to any player? It’s easy to say that a council has voted. Nope ! Frankly, no one knew about it. At the last moment, we were told: ‘there is no point at Wimbledon, the prize money will be reduced’. If it’s a squabble between the ATP and Wimbledon, we are in the middle of it and frankly, it’s not very nice, because in fact, we want to play normally. I’m sorry for the Russians and for Russia, but in any case, they are the ones who have screwed up the mess. For me, it’s all the ATP players, the other countries who are penalized. We find ourselves in a situation where in the end, the Russians have won, because Medvedev will become world No.“.

Also questioned about this decision a few minutes before the muscular exit of Benoît Paire, Daniil Medvedev also reacted, aligning himself with the position of Novak Djokovic. “It’s not easy to say anythinghe first admitted. When I saw the ATP FAQ, why they made the decision, etc., because they explained themselves in this FAQ, I said to myself: ‘it makes sense what they say’. This is what I did not find in the explanations on the Wimbledon side. Be careful, I’m not telling you which decision is the right one, but in any case, for the explanations given, I find that the ATP is more logical and coherent.“. Not exactly the opinion of Benoît Paire.