Benoît Paire – 3 minutes to know better “The Rebel”
Spectacular, unpredictable, magical, Benoit Paire wears a number of different caps when he comes to the court.
“The Rebel” never gives you the same thing in any of his matches, and no one – sometimes not even Paire himself – knows what’s going to happen.
The Frenchman thrills tennis fans because he puts on a show, as much from his game as from his attitude. Paire is not only a showman, he’s also a very good tennis player who has won three titles, and has been as high as No 18 in the ATP rankings, a mark he reached in January 2016. “The Rebel” is here at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown to win and he has the weapons to do it.
1 – Backhand
Paire possesses one of the best two-handed backhands on the Tour. The Frenchman is in his element on the backhand side and is one of the few players who will often run around his forehand to hit a backhand instead.
“My first weapon is my backhand. It’s crazy, powerful, devastating.”
“When the ball is coming fast, he can put the ball in any angle. It’s a big weapon, even from the return, he’s able to make winners,” explains his coach, Morgan Bourbon.
2 – Trick shots
“The Rebel” is a showman and a magician on the court. He likes to thrill the fans with his trick-shots, especially his tweeners, both facing the net and with his back to it. He is capable of making them at any time, he is unpredictable.
“I try everything, like tweeners, down the line. Everything I can think of trying, I try. It comes to me during the point, during the match. I play tennis because I love it, and because I love the trick shots.”
3 – Backspin volley
Paire has extraordinary hands. He can do what he wants with the ball, especially at the net, when he tries to make the ball spin back on his volleys. This is the one he did against Gilles Simon at Bercy in 2015 and it’s one of his most beautiful.
