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Tennis – ATP 500 – Mexican Open – The Fairmont Acapulco Princess, Acapulco, Mexico – March 16, 2021 France’s Benoit Paire remonstrates with the umpire during his first round match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Carlos Perez-Gallardo
Reuters
Tennis – ATP 500 – Mexican Open – The Fairmont Acapulco Princess, Acapulco, Mexico – March 16, 2021 France’s Benoit Paire remonstrates with the umpire during his first round match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Carlos Perez-Gallardo
French professional Benoit Paire has not been on good terms with tennis lately. Due to his recent outbursts, he has received both criticism and harsh punishments. Nonetheless, to reconnect with his fans, he took part in a Q&A through his Instagram handle.
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The World No. 35 answered numerous questions related to tennis and his personal life. Among them, the question about his preferred doubles partner stood out.
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Tennis – ATP Cup – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 5, 2021 France’s Benoit Paire reacts as he retires due to injury from his group stage match against Austria’s Dominic Thiem REUTERS/Kelly Defina
Read More: “Much Less Than Before”: Benoit Paire on His Interest To Play Tennis
Benoit Paire picks Stan Wawrinka as his preferred doubles partner
Social media has made fan-athlete interactions simpler than ever before. In one such interacted by conducted Benoit Paire, a fan asked him, “With whom would you prefer playing doubles?”
To this, Paire replied on his Instagram story and wrote, “Stan Wawrinka, but he never wants to play with me.”
(All quotes are translated from French to English via Google Translate)
Surprisingly, the duo once played as doubles in the 2019 Canadian Masters. Moreover, they even made it into the quarterfinals but gave a walkover to opponents Canadian Denis Shapovalov and Indian Rohan Bopanna.
Unquestionably, the combination of aggression and discipline that Paire and Wawrinka bring would be interesting to watch again. However, it is hard to imagine the three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka playing doubles anymore.
But fans got to see the two together during a couple of live Instagram chats last year. They discussed life in quarantine, tennis, and much more during that hour-long conversation.
Paire’s shocking 2021 season
At the Italian Open 2021, the Frenchman got eliminated in his opening round match. However, he has also participated in the doubles tournament and will play with countryman Adrian Mannarino in Rome.
Presently, he has a disappointing 2-11 record on the ATP tour in 2021. According to Paire, the restrictions and protocols have taken away from the beauty of the sport.
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Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Italian Open – Foro Italico, Rome, Italy – May 10, 2021 Benoit Paire of France takes a photograph of a ball mark on the clay after losing his his first round match against Italy’s Stefano Travaglia REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Before departing from the singles tournament in Rome, Paire even engaged in a heated argument with the chair umpire over a wrong line call. Astonishingly, the Frenchman took out his mobile phone to click the ball mark and claimed that he was okay paying the fines.
The 32-year-old will next play at the French Open 2021 and will look forward to making some notable contributions. But before that, he might face former World No. 1 Andy Murray in the doubles tournament at the Italian Open.
Hopefully, Paire will soon rediscover his love for tennis and bring his A-game to the court again. Will the Frenchman display his old tennis at Roland Garros?
Also Read: Andy Murray Makes Last-Minute Doubles Entry at Italian Open 2021
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