Tennis is one of the most demanding sports on an individual level. Each player has to squeeze throughout the twelve months of the year to be at the top, which translates into hours and hours of work to perfect the technique and polish any aspect of the game. A situation that pushes many of them to the limit. It is the case of Benoit Pair.
The French player has always been characterized by an indomitable character on the court. He has great quality, especially on his backhand, but he has gotten carried away in many extra-sporting aspects. Despite the fact that he had already shown signs of his behavior at certain times, the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic Covid-19 he unleashed his darkest face. A negative side that has accompanied him in recent years.
Paire had been carried away in tournaments for several seasons, which he accessed thanks to his positions of honor since he became number 18 in the ATP. A decision motivated by his desire to make easy money, since he came to recognize that he had lost his enthusiasm for this sport. He preferred to lose than fight to continue climbing the ranks.
[Benoit Paire, el tenista que culpa a la pandemia de sus escándalos: partidos regalados y sin entrenador]
A position for which he blamed the pandemic and the high demands of the tournaments, which presented harsh restrictions to participate. An example of this was the bubble imposed by the Open the Australia to play in Melbourne. The tennis players were forced to undergo different tests continuously and live in forty rooms in the organization’s hotels.
This caused Benoît Paire to tire of tennis and leave some of the most iconic images of recent years. He stopped fighting for points and little more than he showed up on the track to be able to add a few thousand dollars to his bank account, which soon after he spent quickly.
Benoit Paire, during a partido en Niza.
Hobbies such as alcohol or partying became increasingly important in the life of the French tennis player. A spiral that made him descend to almost hell, sinking in the rankings and losing the option of being in the most important tournaments such as the Grand Slams or the Masters 1000.
“Those who love tennis, who only have that in mind and train the 24 hours a day they are happy and the bubble changes nothing. But for those of us who like the environment, life, freedom, eating and enjoying, this is very hard. This circuit is not for us”, explains the Frenchman in an interview in The team.
Such was his negligence with tennis, that Paire allowed himself the luxury of doing without a person to train him. His priority was to collect the winnings from the tournaments even if he lost in the first round, and he didn’t care because he managed to add almost $10,000 for showing up.
“I have stopped training and taking the racket. It makes no sense to pay someone now on the circuit. Now I have neither a coach nor a physical trainer. I am not training and I am not prepared to play important games”, he recognized just a couple of years ago. years.
Change mentality
Benoît Paire has dedicated himself to tennis, but also to partying and enjoying the money he has earned. Especially with a dangerous substance like alcohol. His great addiction to drinking was one of the main causes of his collapse in the ATP. However, that situation has reached its limit.
[Paire se harta del tenis: “Voy al torneo, pierdo, cojo el dinero y me voy a la playa”]
After a couple of years full of ups and downs and with more problems than they should with alcohol, Paire has decided to make a drastic turn to the situation he was experiencing. This has led to his return to the big tournaments, since he has played the first rounds of the Masters 1000 de Miami y Montecarlo. In fact, in the Monegasque he was defeated this Sunday after passing the qualifying phase.
A change of mentality that has come thanks to his mother. Her parent has been to blame for Paire having decided to take a different course and return to betting on the sport. A change of script in her crazy, this time in search of stability. And, finally, it seems that he is finding her. Or, at least, so she has confirmed it in her last interview.
“By the time my head was in shape, I told myself I had to stop drinking too. I did a detox. Not that I was an alcoholic, but I drank a lot. I liked it, I did it too much when I was out of party. I did not set any limits. All this is already paying off: in addition, I have been able to lose a few kilos,” he told RMC Sports shortly before returning to Monte Carlo.
A situation that was due to a personal click after a conversation with his mother, who was the one that made him change his mind about the excesses to which he was leading his life.” Everything clicked on Waco, on February 28 of this year. She couldn’t find the motivation. He would ask me: ‘What am I doing playing tournaments? Challenger at a university, in front of two people?'” he explained.
“I meditated a lot and had a very long conversation on the phone with my mother. I went to Vallarta Port with a completely different mindset. Nicolas Mahut can attest to that, he also helped me a lot after the first round (in Mexico), when I saved a match point”, he stated in his new change of mentality.
Relapse in Monte Carlo
However, Benoît Paire still has a lot of work to do. The French player once again suffered one of those short circuits that have characterized him so much in recent years. It was in his first round match against Alexei Popyrin at the Monte Carlo Masters 1000.
Everything seemed in favor of the French tennis player, who prevailed in the first set by a resounding 6-2. In the second set, Paire’s quality had its effect on him and he dismasted his Australian rival until he was practically on the ropes. The score reflected a 5-1 in his favor and he caressed the victory with his hands.
However, a new shock of reality hit him. He was only one game away from winning, as Popyrin turned the game around and left Paire in pieces, who saw how he left empty and left an image of total disconnection. From there, the Australian won 6-2, 6-7 and 4-6.
