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Benoit Paire looks back on his form: “There was the Covid, a lot of alcohol”, “Winning a match here in Montpellier is beautiful”…

The Avignonnais Benoît Paire took advantage of his great victory in the first qualifying match at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier to come back to his current difficulties but also his reasons for satisfaction. He will face the Italian Luca Nardi this Monday, February 6 for a place in the final draw.

You started your match badly with an entry break, it was a bit complicated to finish at the end of the match and in the meantime you produced good tennis, how do you feel?

I’ll start by saying that it’s a victory, it’s been a long time since I had one so before talking about the complications it is better to talk about the good things. I’m happy to have won, it was a good match against a good player, better ranked than me, who was in the top 100 last year.

It’s been a long time since I played a good level of tennis where I moved well and was pretty solid on my commitments with the ball going well. I remember only the positive afterwards, of course, there are things to improve, but it’s not the first thing that comes to mind.

You had a closed face throughout the meeting, is it a way of concentrating?

My face is closed because it’s been hard for three years… I was still in the top 50 players in the world last year, in the 20 two years ago and there I find myself 220th in the world. So obviously I can’t have a big smile and be the happiest in the world.

I do what I can, I try to have fun as I can on the pitch. For the moment it’s complicated, I have no confidence, I find myself making mistakes that I didn’t make before and I think that it requires a victory like this to come back a little in the standings.

Read also :
Open Sud de France: victorious on Sunday, Benoit Paire will have his chance to join the final table of the tournament

Is it a pleasure for you to come back to Montpellier for the eighth time?

It’s been a long time since I came because I was doing the South American tour in other years (which takes place at the same time, editor’s note). I love this tournament, I reached the final, I made very good matches. I know a lot of people here, I have a lot of my friends who come to see me, I have my family.

We are not used to that throughout the year and it feels good because, in times of doubt, we can relate to that. It’s only a first qualifying round but for me it’s already good to find myself in the second round and why not try to qualify and then find the place that was mine.

What were your reasons for satisfaction during this victory?

Today everything was good for me compared to what I’ve been doing for three years which is a disaster so already, winning a match is great. I knew it was going to be complicated to finish, and at the start of the match. But the most important thing is to manage to get out of it.

Afterwards, the way I don’t care because when I win a match, when I get angry once, the only thing we will say is that I got angry, when I also lose. Instead of saying after this victory “Benoit won”, they will say “Benoit is calm”. And I’m happy with that because I knew how to keep my calm, be positive when necessary, manage my nerves, and that you have to hold back from time to time.

Benoit Paire lost in the final against Richard Gasquet at the 2013 Open Sud de France.
Midi Libre – FRANCK VALENTIN

What has changed between the Benoit Paire of today and that of 2019, the date of your last victory in Montpellier?

It’s very simple, there was the Covid, a lot of alcohol, a preparation that was not up to what I wanted and had to do. Inevitably, the results do not follow but I took advantage of my life. There, I try to come back, to recover well in the head and in the legs. it goes through victories like today, having fun here in Montpellier.

It’s complicated when I find myself on Challengers, I’m not really used to it and when I lose in the first round it undermines me even more. So winning a match here is great, I’m happy to play in front of the Montpellier crowd. What has changed since 2019 is that I was not ready to play tennis matches, I was more ready to party and there I am trying to find a correct level.

Reaching the final like in 2013 would be a feat?

For me the feat is to win a match. Afterwards, winning two would be a great achievement and after all, everything is possible. From the moment I find a little confidence, that I feel good in my legs and in my body, I think that tennis is still there. I showed it today during beautiful sequences, it’s positive but there is still a lot of work to find this level of 2013.

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