FFT Punishes Benoit Paire Following Nasty Meltdowns, Likely to Miss Tokyo Olympics

French tennis player Benoit Paire recently got evicted from the Barcelona Open 2021. Facing Italy’s Federico Gaio in the first round, the World No. 35 player lost in straight sets. The season’s turning out to be a big disaster for Paire. This is his sixth consecutive tournament where he suffered a defeat in the very first round that he played.

What’s even more problematic is that Benoit Paire might get in more trouble soon. Paire is renowned for his on-court antics, and the French Tennis Federation (FFT) can soon book him for his behavior. As a result, there are chances that the French player might even miss the upcoming Tokyo Olympics this year.

Recently, after getting eliminated from the Monte Carlo Masters 2021 in the very first round, he started saying bad things about the ATP Circuit. After losing the first round against Jordan Thomson in three sets, he claimed that he didn’t care about the sport anymore.

“Frankly, I don’t give a fuck about this game. The circuit is rotten. Win or lose in such conditions, I don’t care. I no longer have the spark,” said Paire at the Monte Carlo Masters 2021.

After recently losing to Federico Gaio at the Barcelona Open 2021, he spat on the court, got in an argument with the referee, and then decided to walk off from the tournament.

President of the FFT had a chat with Benoit Paire on phone

The President of the French Tennis Federation, Gilles Moretton, had a chat with Paire after the incident at the Barcelona Open 2021. Even though he didn’t speak about what the exact conversation was, he issued an official statement.

“I usually tell them what I have to say to them, especially with players, and Arnaud Clément did so too. We have set our rules of the game,” said the President.

(Quotes translated with Google Translate)

The FFT must have surely issued a number of warnings to Benoit Paire for his misconduct on the court. Reports claim that the FFT will soon sanction him and he might miss a couple of matches on tour as well.

However, the bigger picture is that the 31-year-old Frenchman might miss the upcoming Olympics. If this happens, Paire will be disappointed as he’ll miss the chance to represent his nation at the biggest forum in sports.

Also Read: ABSURD: Benoit Paire Celebrates After Losing Fifth Consecutive Match at Miami Open 2021