French tennis star Benoit Paire has added a coach to his team and he already feels the positives of having someone in his corner. Paire, ranked at No. 62 in the world, was accompanied in Madrid by Antoine Hamard. Paire was on a five-match losing streak, before he snapped it in Madrid.
On Saturday, Paire defeated Brandon Nakashima in his Madrid qualifying opener. A day later, Paire recovered from a set down to beat Federico Coria in the Madrid qualifying final round. On Monday, Paire’s Madrid run ended after he was beaten by Diego Schwartzman in three sets in the first round.
“It’s our first tournament together. I needed to have someone to watch during my matches, to feel supported. Having a coach also forces me to train more. I try to make efforts to get back in shape. I spend more time on the court, I go out a little less and I drink a little less.
These two years of Covid have worn me down. In fact, I feel like a player coming back from injury. Winning matches does my head good,” Paire told L’Equipe, per We Love Tennis.
Paire finally ended his losing streak
Early last week, Paire sustained a straight-set loss to Sonwoo Kwon in his Estoril opener.
Paire had multiple chances in the second set versus Kwon but failed to convert as Kwon claimed a 6-4 7-5 victory. It was just yet another match in which Paire had his chances but failed to convert. A few days later, Paire returned to action in Madrid and he finally managed to win a tennis match.
Paire made a strong start to his Madrid qualifying opener versus Brandon Nakashima but the American bounced back in the second set to force a decider. Paire has lost many matches this year after suffering mental collapses but this time he managed to keep his focus as he beat Nakashima 6-0 3-6 6-3.
