“I will stop and I will stop now” – Paire on his relationship with hard work
Ahead of UTS Frankfurt, Benoit Paire has shared about his often criticised work ethic in a conversation with Gael Monfils and Patrick Mouratoglou
Benoit Paire, UTS Los Angeles 2023 © Tennis Majors / Panoramic
One of the most mercurial players on the ATP Tour, Frenchman Benoit Paire, has revealed his love-hate relationship with hard work over the course of his career.
Now lighting up the UTS Tour with his brilliant shot-making and on-court theatrics, Paire has long been renowned for having incredible talent that isn’t maximised.
However, in a recent conversation with Patrick Mouratoglou, founder and chairman of UTS, and fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils, on the second episode of the UTS podcast “All on the Table”, the 34-year-old has explained that he never had an option to work any harder.
Paire says hard work above his skills
Over his 16-year-long career, Benoit Paire has accrued prize money in excess of $10 million, winning three titles in Bastad (2015), Lyon (2019) and Marrkech (2019), for a career-high ranking of No 18 in the world.
However, as the Frenchman shared with Mouratoglou and Monfils, outsiders often comment on how much more he could have achieved, if only he worked harder on the tennis court.
“People tell me, “With your talent, you could have…” Man, if I had worked harder, to get a little more, I would have stopped,” explained Paire.
“The efforts that all the players do… It is above my skills.”
Paire continued, declaring, “Take me for one hour of hard work, my quick feeling will be, “I will stop, and I will stop now.” I don’t think I can repeat that on a daily basis.”
Despite his polarising approach to the game, the 34-year-old continues to be one of the biggest drawcards on the UTS Tour, recently thrilling crowds in Los Angeles as he smashed multiple racquets, climbed the umpire’s chair, and tore his shirt off.
Players like David Ferrer are role models for Paire
Surprisingly, given his own work ethic, Benoit Paire explained to Monfils and Mouratoglou that some of the players he admires the most on the ATP Tour are the ones who work the hardest.
“I’m a fan when I look at the players who work hard. When I see the other players at the gym, doing fitness to gain muscle. These guys have my absolute respect,” Paire said.
In particular, one such role model for Paire is David Ferrer, often seen as the best male player to not win a Grand Slam in the modern era. Ferrer played in the shadow of the Big Three for the majority of his career, winning 27 titles and reaching a career-high of No 3 thanks to his incredible fitness and resilience on the tennis court.
“One of the players I loved the most was David Ferrer. He was my absolute opposite. When I saw him work, I found that marvellous.”
“That’s the point,” continued Paire, referring to the Spaniard’s widely recognised work ethic. “I just can’t do that. I just can’t.”
We’ll never know what Paire could have achieved had he managed to combine hard work with his exquisite skillset on the court, but tennis fans can still enjoy his explosive play style while it lasts, with the Frenchman due to play UTS Frankfurt this September.
