“There Is a Problem”: Benoit Paire Cites Absence of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic from Miami Open to Raise Tour Concerns

Veteran French tennis star Benoit Paire has raised fresh concerns on the double whammy of moving from one bubble to another, while on Tour, at a time when tournament sponsors are reducing prize money citing the pandemic. The fact that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have all pulled out of the upcoming Miami Open has only underlined his concerns.

The latest remark from the 31-year-old Frenchman comes on the heels of a recent post-match interaction with the press where he said that the game is being stripped off its soul minus an ambience and it’s hard to keep one’s motivation levels up.

He said that playing closed-doors across events has made tennis a “tasteless profession”.

Benoit Paire says the withdrawals of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic from Miami points to a problem in the circuit

Add to it the shrinking purse at top events and the players are left with very little motivation to risk traveling in Covid times. Hinting as much, the Frenchman cited the depleted men’s draw at this year’s Miami Open to reinforce his point.

In what is arguably the first time in many years, the tournament will not have the ‘Big Three’ vying for the title.

While World Number 1 Novak Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the event citing the restrictions in place in view of the pandemic, his ‘Big Three’ rival Rafael Nadal, too, pulled out because of a bad back.

Former World Number 1 and 2019 Miami champion Roger Federer, who returned to competitive action at the recent Qatar Open, also withdrew from the event, opting instead to return to training ahead of the grass court season.

What’s more, reigning US Open champion Dominic Thiem, three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka and veteran French star Gael Monfils are also among the big-name pullouts from this year’s Miami Open.

However, if Paire is to be believed, the reduced prize money this year may have had a lot to do with the ‘Big Three’ pulling out.

“When I see that the Miami Masters 100 will be played without Roger, Rafa, Novak, Dominic, Gael and Stan, there is a problem at the moment on the circuit,” the Frenchman wrote on Twitter.

Read More: “Not a Lot In It For Us”: Denis Shapovalov Laments Reduced Prize Money at Tour Events

Canadian tennis star Denis Shapovalov also raised a similar concern after making a semi-final exit at the ongoing Dubai Open, saying reduced prize money is taking the motivation out of players to compete.