Mens Tennis Forums banner

Benoit Paire

162K views 847 replies 89 participants last post by  FlameOn 
#1 · (Edited)

I think Benoit deserves a thread.
He is just 20, has won several futures tournaments and is ranked 611th
He is playing RG qualies this week
1st round against Giovanni Lapentti and he won the first set 6/3
 
See less See more
1
#720 ·
Oh God, what a choke :help:. I didn't have Benoit down as a choker. I thought if he was going to have a 'headcase' day it's usually during the whole match and he just loses badly. But serving for it three fucking times and still losing? That's not excusable :(:mad:.

Here's to a better Auckland and hopefully I get to see him live.
 
#721 ·
Hey! :) Well, I got to see him live twice, his first and second round singles matches. The first round on centre court was a dream. He got it done under an hour, served great, entertained the crowd with football moves on the tennis balls throughout and an attempted between the legs shot at the net. He also waved to the crowd right after winning as if to say 'thanks for the support', 'cause the crowd really liked him. Most of the players just sit down after their wins and wait until it's all over to wave to the crowd. He was also quite sweet in his post-match interview, saying Przysiezny was a good player even though Benoit was noticeably leagues above him, at least on that day. This day was good Paire.

Then came R2 VS Bautista-Agut. This was on a closed-in outside court with only a couple of small stands and that's it. All seemed well at first. At the coin-toss he seemed in a good-enough mood. But he chose to receive, then he didn't play the first return game that well, and when he had his first service game he was already hitting a couple of balls way out of the court in frustration and really stayed in an awful mood the whole match. Always arguing with umpire, kicking the back wall, stuff like that. And near the end of set 2 at a changeover he looked so despondent he didn't come to his normal chair, he was sitting at the back of the court with one leg crossed over (it was the back wall but there was a bit you could sit down on for some reason).

It was really sad to see him that way TBH. Also frustrating 'cause when he felt like dialing in (for a few service games) he held easily, an ace or two, a winner and it was done. I didn't quite understand what I was watching for the rest of it. There's frustration if you're playing badly, but Benoit played one bad return game at the very start of the match and already appeared really angry. Like what? I don't think there's any denying he has issues. At least one positive is that he was never rude to his opponent or the ballkids etc. His anger was aimed at himself and sometimes the umpire. But still it didn't seem like necessary anger. When he felt like it, he was right in the match! Yeah, it's so weird.

On the positive side, on this close-up outside court I got to see him really close and yes, he is as gorgeous in person as pics and videos. There was no let-down in that department at all. But just...during Bautista match I felt like taking him aside and saying "WTF are you doing?" :eek:.
 
#724 ·
Hey! :) Well, I got to see him live twice, his first and second round singles matches.
I also got to see Ben in Auckland this week, I saw his practice on Monday when I got there and his 2 matches.

Here are some pictures I took of him:
Great reports and excellent photographs - thanks very much! :wavey:

It sounds like maybe something happened before that Bautista-Agut match which completely put him off. He seems very "all or nothing" - like when things start to go badly, he thinks the whole match will be a total disaster and he can't see a way turn it around. It's such a shame he doesn't realise how talented he is, and that he's still very capable of winning matches like this. :sad: Hopefully that will improve with time.

Not good to hear that the knee is still hurting him - but Tsonga also had pain/ problems on court during the recovery of his knee (same injury) and it doesn't seem to have caused any further damage - he is flying now. Hopefully, Benoit's knee just needs more time.

Thanks again for the terrific reports/ piccies! :)
 
#722 ·
I also got to see Ben in Auckland this week, I saw his practice on Monday when I got there and his 2 matches. Like FlameOn said, his first match was great and he won really quickly and he seemed quite happy. Against Bautista-Agut he came to the court late, argued with the umpire and kicked the wall a few times. He clearly wasn't happy when he came to the court and it showed when he played. He also took a MTO in the second set for his knee which seemed to be hurting him a little bit. He certainly could've beaten Baustista but it almost seemed like he didn't want to - a lot of aces in that match though.

Here are some pictures I took of him:













 
#727 ·
#731 ·
I've got a few pictures of Benoit and Lionel (coach) in Auckland too, they were watching Baghdatis's first round match:





He was okay vs. Dancevic today - wasted several set points during the 1st set tiebreaker, and about 3 MPs in the third set too. But seemed to keep his head in the game most of the time and his ROS was looking good too
 
#734 ·
I've got a few pictures of Benoit and Lionel (coach) in Auckland too, they were watching Baghdatis's first round match:
Thanks! Nice pics... :)

Well done Ben... good straight sets win. Seems barbaric to send players out in these conditions though. :confused: Hope the weather eases off soon.

Allez for R2! :yeah:
 
#735 ·
Amazing comeback from Ben to win 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 :worship: after being 2 sets and an early break down in the 3rd. He fought really hard and showed a lot of mental toughness to come back in this one after having set points in both the 1st 2 sets. Kyrgios played great and served bombs for a big chunk of the match but cramped up towards the end. Ben served 32 aces, hit 78 winners and had 45 UE's. The crowd was like a really wild Davis Cup but Ben gave as good as he got. It seemed to fire him up.

https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/423827575861833728

Into the 3rd round at the Aussie Open for the 1st time! :yeah:

He plays Bautista-Agut next... Allez! :)
 
#736 ·
Let's not go there :lol:. 7 wasted set points between the first two sets. Could've wrapped it up in straights :eek:. Didn't go away after sets 1 and 2 (he easily could've) so credit for that. He showed mental strength there but it was his lack of it in the first place that extended the match to so long :lol:.

He has to learn how to close out sets, seriously :eek:.

After AO I'm taking a break from following the pro game, likely for a very good while, so it's cool that Ben's won a couple of rounds here :). To make R4, revenge on Bautista (who he's never beaten and lost to in Auckland last week) is the order of the day.

Allez our handsome Paire, good luck ;).
 
#737 ·
After AO I'm taking a break from following the pro game, likely for a very good while, so it's cool that Ben's won a couple of rounds here :). To make R4, revenge on Bautista (who he's never beaten and lost to in Auckland last week) is the order of the day.

Allez our handsome Paire, good luck ;).
Is that because of Ben?!?!? ;)
 
#739 ·
Ahhh... I am more optimistic than you. I hope he turns a corner with matches like this. So often he would have lost interest and let the 3rd set run away from him, but not today. That's progress!!! I was seriously impressed that he didn't let the crowd beat him either - it was crazy in there. :hatoff:


Web source: https://www.facebook.com/FFTennis/photos_stream


Web source: https://www.facebook.com/FFTennis/photos_stream


Web source: http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/news/galleries/2014-01-17/201401161389879139909.html


Web source: http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/news/galleries/2014-01-17/201401161389879139909.html
 
#744 ·
^^^ :no: If you're not a fan, don't post here. GM is the place for snippy messages, not a player's forum.

You perhaps didn't watch the match though. Kyrgios was very arrogant early on and the crowd were out of control wild - as you might expect, with a local boy doing well... but they gave Ben dog's abuse, cheering errors and double faults. The umpire struggled to control them the whole match.

Ben was extremely gracious at the end, with the players exchanging a warm hug at the net, Ben saying lots of good things about Kyrgios in the interview, and applauding him off court... and the crowd were actually far more gracious to Ben after the match.
 
#746 ·
I was too cynical last night, but I really am quite happy for him now. He deserves to make R3 of a slam :cheerleader:.

DBR, I'd like to believe that this could mark a turning point for Benoit. But who really knows. I know that such things rarely happen though. I mean did Verdasco finally winning against Nadal in 2012 Madrid turn around his career? :lol: No. It's very hard for a leopard to change their spots in tennis.
 
#748 ·
Benoit article from L'Equipe - I struggled a bit with the translation in a few places, so please let me know if there are any mistakes!

From - http://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/-je-suis-fier-de-moi/432623

Benoit Paire, how do you feel after this victory?

I knew it would be a tough match. This is an opponent who played very well and served very well. It was a great atmosphere. I congratulate the Australian fans who have a really good spirit and supported their player. It really touched (affected?) me a lot. I came back from two sets to love. This really makes me happy. I'm glad I fought hard. I am not even upset that it was not simple. I thought, come on, try, try. He broke me early in the third set and I still continued to fight. There have been some times, I would have lost the match. I'm proud of myself.

Your attitude today is your greatest satisfaction?

The end of last year was very complicated for me. Much has touched me and hurt me. To play a match like this in Australia having been injured all winter and without much practice/ training, I enjoy it more. There has been a lot of criticism of me. Today, I showed everyone that I am able to stay focused, calm and that I have made a lot of progress. Even if I'll be very tired now, I am very satisfied and I hope it will go well in the next round.

How do you explain this fantastic comeback?

I felt that I was very motivated. When I went down two sets to zero, I also found support. I heard a lot of French fans and it helped me. He got a lot of support too. Each point he scored, it was like the Davis Cup. It was really great. I had opportunities in the first sets. I knew he was young and he was having a little trouble handling the situation. I had a good game to break back, I returned better and better and I felt he was getting tired. To come back from two sets down is something really strong."
 
#749 ·
Benoit article from L'Equipe - I struggled a bit with the translation in a few places, so please let me know if there are any mistakes! :)

From - http://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/-je-suis-fier-de-moi/432623

Benoit Paire, how do you feel after this victory?

I knew it would be a tough match. This is an opponent who played very well and served very well. It was a great atmosphere. I congratulate the Australian fans who have a really good spirit and supported their player. It really touched (affected?) me a lot. I came back from two sets to love. This really makes me happy. I'm glad I fought hard. I am not even upset that it was not simple. I thought, come on, try, try. He broke me early in the third set and I still continued to fight. There have been some times, I would have lost the match. I'm proud of myself.

Your attitude today is your greatest satisfaction?

The end of last year was very complicated for me. Much has touched me and hurt me. To play a match like this in Australia having been injured all winter and without much practice/ training, I enjoy it more. There has been a lot of criticism of me. Today, I showed everyone that I am able to stay focused, calm and that I have made a lot of progress. Even if I'll be very tired now, I am very satisfied and I hope it will go well in the next round.

How do you explain this fantastic comeback?

I felt that I was very motivated. When I went down two sets to zero, I also found support. I heard a lot of French fans and it helped me. He got a lot of support too. Each point he scored, it was like the Davis Cup. It was really great. I had opportunities in the first sets. I knew he was young and he was having a little trouble handling the situation. I had a good game to break back, I returned better and better and I felt he was getting tired. To come back from two sets down is something really strong."
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top