We know that Benoît Paire never does anything like the others on the ATP circuit.
On Tuesday, the French could do nothing for his entry into the ATP Cup with the French selection, against Fabio Fognini (6-1, 7-6) in Melbourne.
For his first official match since October 2020, the 28th player in the world signed a nightmarish start to the match.
Serving at 1-1, Paire signed eight fouls in a row to give the Italian the first break in the game!
"At the beginning it was catastrophic with my service, it weighed down my morale"
A start that put the Frenchman in a very bad mood but that Paire explained by an embarrassment with the sun, very high in the Australian sky, while the previous days in training, the clouds were out.
“At the beginning it was catastrophic with my service, it weighed down my morale,” admitted to
L'Equipe
the player led 6-1, 3-0 before registering five games in a row.
In vain, since Fognini removed the second set in the decisive game a little later.
"I did not expect to play the game of my life, even if I expected better in view of my training," he said, logically short of competition.
The Blues already eliminated
The defeat of Paire, doubled that of Gaël Monfils, against Berrettini (10th in the world, 6-4, 6-2), did not do the business of the France team.
Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin saved the honor against the double transalpine, but the course of the Blues stops before the semi-finals before their second group match against Austria.
Can someone get Benoit a cap?
It's a little bit sunny ...
Fognini wins a game without hitting a single ball!
# ATPCuppic.twitter.com / XlkTuFctqZ
- Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 2, 2021
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