In a bizarre act, Benoit Paire was seen packing his bags in the third set even before his match against Cameron Norrie was over.
The lack of effort was apparent as Paire went down 0-6, 6-7, 0-6 to the Brit in the first round of US Open on Tuesday.
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The result made ugly reading for Paire who dropped the first set in just 18 minutes and the third in 19.
"My demons are back again…"
Benoit Paire was packing his racquets into his bag before losing the match on his own serve 👋#USOpen | @benoitpaire
— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 30, 2022
Paire started packing his bags at 0-5 down in the third set and he was a beaten man after only 98 minutes.
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“Maybe the heat was getting to him,” said seventh seed Norrie.
After the match the temperamental Frenchman cast a doubt over his future.
“I’ll see if I resume next year,” he was quoted saying.
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“I don’t know if I’m going to fight because even at Grand Slams I find it difficult to fight.
“I hope one day to find a motivation, something that will make me love tennis, find the taste to fight, to go in competition, to travel.
Paire has struggled emotionally since coming back from the pandemic.
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In the last 28 tournaments, he has gone past the first round only four times.
A former top-20 player, the 33-year-old has dropped to 173 in the ATP rankings.
“Right now, I’m the happiest when I’m at home and the unhappiest when I’m in the tournament,” he added.
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“I don’t even want to get angry on a tennis court anymore. It’s not a good sign, if I don’t get angry, it means I don’t care.”
As a main draw player though, Paire still made a nifty $80,000 for losing in the first round.
It remains to be seen if the ATP and ITF fine him for tanking the match.
