Paire: “Playing at home for me is difficult at the moment”

Benoît Paire is not at his best. The Frenchman, who became number 18 in the world, is currently in a difficult situation. At 33 years old, he is at number 165 in the ATP and has not managed to lift a title since Lyon in 2019, which was his third and last ATP tournament to date. In addition, he has stated how difficult it is for him to play matches in French lands: “Playing at home is difficult for me at the moment. People expect a lot from me. I was 18th in the world, so when I go back to France, people expect me to always win.”, confessed the French tennis player. At the moment he is in Portugal, after falling in the Braga tournament and in the quarterfinals in Lisbon.

Precisely in this tournament he has experienced a new convulsive episode in his career, after insulting and attacking his rival, the Kazakh Timofey Slatov in his last game. All these moments only increase his doubts and fuel the criticism around him: “Mentally, I wasn’t ready to play my best tennis, so I thought it was better to be in a quieter place, in Portugal., to enjoy my tennis. I prefer to play tournaments outside of France at the moment. If I find my best level, maybe I’ll play in France again. Since I haven’t won many matches this year, I decided it was better to stay away. There are always many people looking at me, waiting for me… “.

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Despite not being in a particularly good moment for him, the Avignon still hopes to reverse the situation: “It is not easy to find the motivation, but I know why I am here (in challenger). I don’t play these tournaments for money, but because I want to win matches and return to the loop. If I feel that I am no longer up to the ATP tournaments, I will stop playing tennis. But if I’m good mentally and physically, I can go back to my best and be back in the top 30 or top 20. I know my tennis is not what it used to be and it’s not perfect. Today I just try to win matches and have fun on the pitch.” The Frenchman’s next appointments will be in two Challengers: the first in Parma (from October 3 to 9) and the second in Ismaning (from 10 to 16).