He had been warned… But that was not enough. French tennis player Benoît Paire, 35e in the ATP ranking and fourth French player, will not be able to claim a selection for the Tokyo Olympics, as decided by the French Tennis Federation (FFT) on Friday 23 April. A decision made “Given the repetition [d’un] deeply inappropriate behavior “, explains the federation in a press release. Benoît Paire, 31 years old, “Understands and accepts” this sanction, affirmed Nicolas Escudé, the national technical director of the FFT, during a videoconference which was held in the afternoon. At issue: two episodes in particular.
The first dates from the beginning of March, in Buenos Aires. Opposed for his entry into the running to a player classified beyond the 100e world place, the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo (defeat 4-6, 6-3, 6-1), Benoît Paire multiplies the outbursts: he spits on a disputed mark judged against him by the referee, howls several swear words, and sabotages completely its end of the game, including the match point (on a gross double fault).
He adds in the wake of a provocation on social networks: a screenshot of his page on the ATP site showing his approximately $ 8.5 million in career earnings, along with the comment: “In the end, it’s worth it to suck. “
The ethics committee of the FFT then seizes the facts, but it shows indulgence towards the player, who took the trouble to send him a letter of apology. The 30-something also talks with the new president of the FFT, Gilles Moretton.
“The formal and public observation of its breaches of the ethics charter constitutes a sufficient measure, without it being necessary at this stage [de] seize the competent disciplinary bodies “, then considers the ethics committee in its opinion, delivered in mid-March.
“I don’t give a damn about it”
Despite this ” caution “ however, “Benoît put the cover back a few days later, in Monte-Carlo, with inappropriate statements. From that moment, we could not afford, as a federation and an institution, to let these things pass ”, explains Nicolas Escudé.
“Whether I win or lose, I don’t give a damn, it happens to me light years away”, loose this time Benoît Paire, beaten once again from the start – in this case by the Australian Jordan Thompson, and this after three hours of match [6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/5)]. “I took 12,000 euros to be in a quiet hotel; after I go home, it’s perfect ”, he says at the end of the meeting, during his press conference.
“Words once again deeply contrary to the ethics of sport and the values of tennis, which not only outraged the whole tennis family, but shocked far beyond”, criticizes the FFT. And drive the point home: “This behavior, unsuitable, unsportsmanlike, repetitive [et] coming from a high level player, [est] inadmissible and very negatively affects the image and values of sport in general, and tennis in particular. “
Excluded from the Rio Games
Benoît Paire does not hide that he lives very badly with the health constraints imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which greatly demotivates him – the absence of the public, in particular, add to this a daily life under the cover. Of the eleven matches he has played since the start of the season, he has won only one (against Chilean Nicolas Jarry, 1165e world – old 38e world, back from a suspension following a positive doping control -, in Cordoba). He fell again on entry this week in Barcelona (against Italian Federico Gaio, 138e worldwide).
However, Benoît Paire’s singles ranking (35e, as of April 19) and his current position as French number four made him, until now, a natural candidate for the Olympic selection, open to the 56 best players in the world within the limit of four maximum per country.
The only Olympic experience of Avignon, at the Rio Games, in 2016, had already come to an end: he had been excluded from the competition by the FFT “After several reframing, many discussions, and a lot of breaches of the rules of life”. “Now I know how the Olympics are going, I’m happy to leave them”, then let go of Benoît Paire just after his elimination in the second round.
