Hamburg European Open: "Oh Benoit, oh, là, là !!!" Mr. Paire tries hard and even wins
Benoit Paire made an appearance with bite on Thursday evening - somehow amazing and absolutely enjoyable.
by Florian Goosmann from Hamburg
last edit: Jul 16, 2021, 08:04 am
Does he feel like it? Or is it actually too late for him? Or still do not care? It was the big questions that arose at 8:15 pm on the so-called “Center Court of the World”, here at Rothenbaum in Hamburg, where Messrs. Lajovic, Molcan, Carreno Busta, Taberner, Delbonis and Ramos-Vinolas left all the time in the world had a lovely long day. After all, Delbonis somehow managed to prevent a third set, otherwise Benoit Paire's game would have started later, and would he have felt like it? We don't even want to think about it.
So he stood there, in a classic white outfit that almost only he can wear, the 32-year-old from France, one of the few who uses the polo shirt according to his sense, with the collar up so that the neck is not gets cold.
The first rally? Of course, garnished with a (too long) stop, and while Paire found neither length nor breadth at the beginning, opponent Juan Pablo Varillas found the lines, even those of the T-field, so that the ball on Paire's side would bounce a little if in doubt. It only took the Peruvian to win the game 2-0, until Paire knocked a ball out of the stadium and received a warning at the same time as he stepped into the gang. In retrospect, it was completely surprising: it should remain the only one.
Benoit Paire wants to win
Because Benoit Paire actually felt like playing tennis on this Thursday evening, possibly because it was a dignified one, warm, no longer too humid, even spectators were there, even if not the full 2,000 who had marveled at the Spanish sand burrows that day .
Paire caught up 0: 3, when they won the game to 4: 4, the stop even worked, even if it came from the rather unusual idea, after a serve on the starting side to the outside and an almost circled forehand; the stop, however, it was so short, with so much cut and also against the course of the nimble Varilla that one could only think again how wonderfully this Benoit Paire would actually do the tour if he only ... well, let's leave that.
Paire actually grabbed the set with 7: 5, he clenched his fist, started the second round with two breakballs, didn't use any, then forgot two of his own game balls and was already back 2-0. "Quarante Quinze, Quinze Quaraaaaaante" he shouted, shortly afterwards he corrected the order, "Quinze Quarante, Quarante Quiiiiinze", the break caught up again. But of course it couldn't be done without drama. When changing sides at 2: 3, Paire unwound the grip tape of his racket, but couldn't wrap a new one, and Richard Gasquet isn't always there when you need him.
So Paire took a new (or old?) Racket, at the second point the string broke, then another racket and yet the game, shortly afterwards the break to 4: 3. Then, of course, a stumble while volleyball, nothing happens that a good detergent couldn't fix, despite the rebreak, “Oh Benoit, oh, là, là !!!” he shouted at some point, but he still played the last two service games with surprising concentration . And the question of what would happen if the first serve did not come as fast as it did is better not to ask yourself at Benoit Paire anyway. After all, the wobbly and cumbersome forehand came more often in the meantime, also in combination with a violent spin cross and then longline as an attack shot or winner, there were even a few that evening.
A wonderful match ball
In the tiebreak, of course, the whole program. King Rauschebart came to the match point with a promising forehand, pulled it up and howled like a Labrador puppy, from which the newly acquired rubber duck has just been taken away, shortly after match point number two, on its own serve. This time he tried serve-and-volley, the deep backhand volley had to be artistically valuable, of course, but it was also ineffective, Varillas thanked him, Paire yelped again. Then: set point for Varillas, who punctually made his second double fault of the game. In the end, the man from the beautiful Avignon triumphed, which David Hasselhoff once sang about, and he won the match exactly the way he wants to win one match at all, with the stop-praise combination and a really sovereign final flying ball .
Paire cheered, shook hands with his opponent, shouted again energetically for joy and applauded well when Varillas was said goodbye to stadium announcer Matthias Killing with a few warm words.
If only he had more of a desire to play tennis than he does today, Mr Paire.
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