Benoît "Ben" Paire (; born 8 May 1989) is a French professional

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player. His best result in a Grand Slam has been reaching the fourth round, which he has achieved on four occasions. He has won three singles titles, at the 2015 Swedish Open, the 2019 Marrakesh Open and the 2019 Lyon Open, and his career-high singles ranking is World No. 18, first achieved in January 2016. He has a career-high ranking of World No. 65 in doubles achieved on 15 November 2021. In 2015, Paire was voted Comeback Player of the Year, rising from world No. 118 ATP singles ranking at year-end 2014 to a then career-high world No. 19 at year-end 2015, after a knee injury had sidelined him for much of 2014.

Career

2011: Top 100 debut

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

was a year in which he increased his ranking around sixty places and broke into the top 100 in the

ATP rankings The PIF ATP Rankings (previously known as the Pepperstone ATP Rankings) are the merit-based method used by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for determining the qualification for entry as well as the seeding of players in all single ...

for the first time in his career. Paire also appeared in the main draw in three of the four Grand Slams (and for the first time without needing to qualify), his best result at this level coming at the Australian Open, losing in the second round to former world no. 3 and 17th seed,

Ivan Ljubičić Ivan Ljubičić (; born 19 March 1979) is a Croatian former professional tennis player, coach and Tennis TV commentator. He reached a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world No. 3 singles ranking on 1 May 2006. His career high ...

. Paire played in five

ATP 250 The ATP 250 tournaments (previously known as the ''ATP World Tour 250'' tournaments, ''ATP International Series'', and ''ATP World Series'') are the lowest tier of annual men's tennis tournaments on the main ATP Tour, after the four Grand Slam (t ...

tournaments, making it to the second round in both

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

and

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

, as well as coming through qualifying and making it into the second round in the two ATP 500 tournaments he played,

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, the latter in which he beat compatriot, top 20 player and former world no. 6

Gilles Simon Gilles Simon (; born 27 December 1984) is a French former tennis player. He turned professional in 2002 and won fourteen singles titles on the ATP Tour, and attained a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 6, on 5 January 2009. Personal li ...

in three sets. Paire again missed out on making his first appearance in a main draw at a Masters event, losing in qualifying in both

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

(for the second time in two years), as well as in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

. At Challenger level, Paire made it to a couple more finals, the first at the Open Prévadiès Saint–Brieuc event in March, losing to fellow country-man Maxime Teixeira, before beating Teixera later in the year to win his first Challenger title at Ropharma Challenger Brașov. Paire followed this victory with another in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

just a month later, defeating

Grega Žemlja Grega Žemlja (born 29 September 1986) is a retired Slovenian tennis player. He has won five singles titles and one doubles title on the ATP Challenger Tour. In 2012, he reached the third round of the US Open, the first Slovenian male player eve ...

in three sets in the final.

2012: First ATP Tour singles final

Benoît kicked off his

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

season at the

Chennai Open Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, beating

French Open The French Open (), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a tennis tournament organized by the French Tennis Federation annually at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It is chronologically the second of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam ...

quarter-finalist

Fabio Fognini Fabio Fognini (; born 24 May 1987) is an Italian professional tennis player. He has a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP ranking of world No. 9 achieved on 15 July 2019. Fognini's most successful surface is Clay court#Red clay, ...

for the loss of just one game, before falling to Israeli

Dudi Sela David "Dudi" Sela (; born 4 April 1985) is an Israeli former professional tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 29 in July 2009. Sela won the French Open 2003 junior doubles title. Representing Israel Davis Cup te ...

, despite leading by a set, in the second round. Continuing his preparation for the

Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...

, Paire played at the Heineken Open in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, coming through qualifying before beating former world no. 1

Juan Carlos Ferrero Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat (; born 12 February 1980) is a Spanish former professional tennis player and current coach. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Pro ...

and 4th seed

Juan Ignacio Chela Juan Ignacio Chela (; born 30 August 1979), nicknamed as "El Flaco" or "Liliano," is a tennis coach and former professional player from Argentina. Chela was given a three-month ban from the professional tour in 2001 for failing a drugs test. Post ...

to make it to his first ever quarter-final in an ATP event. Here he lost to eventual finalist

Olivier Rochus Olivier Rochus (; born 18 January 1981) is a former Belgian tennis player. Rochus won two singles titles in his career and in 2004 won the French Open doubles title, partnering fellow Belgian Xavier Malisse. His career-high singles ranking is wo ...

in three sets. At the

, Paire drew top twenty-five player and former world no. 9

Stan Wawrinka Stanislas "Stan" Wawrinka (; born 28 March 1985) is a Swiss professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), first achieved on 27 January 2014. Wawrinka has won 16 ATP T ...

in the first round, falling in straight sets. Benoît next played two back-to-back

events at the Brasil Open (losing in the first round to

David Nalbandian David Pablo Nalbandian (; born 1 January 1982) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. He reached his highest ranking in singles of world No. 3 in March 2006, during a career that spanned from 2000 to 2013. Nalbandian was runner-up in ...

), and a week later the

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

where he was again beaten by

. Benoît played his third clay court tournament in a row at the Mexican Open (part of the ATP 500 Series), losing in the second round to clay court specialist

Nicolás Almagro Nicolás Almagro Sánchez (; born 21 August 1985 in Murcia, Spain) is a Spanish former professional tennis player of Latin American descent. He reached the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2008 French Open – Men's singles, 2008, 201 ...

, despite taking the first set. Next, Benoît competed in back-to-back

ATP Masters 1000 The ATP 1000 events, also known as ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, are an annual series of nine tennis tournaments featuring the top-ranked players on the ATP Tour since its inception in 1990. The ATP 1000 tournaments, sitting below the Grand ...

events Indian Wells &

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. At Indian Wells, Paire lost is in the first round to VTR Open runner-up,

Carlos Berlocq Carlos Alberto Berlocq (; born February 3, 1983) is an Argentine former professional tennis player and coach nicknamed ''Charly'', ''Panther'' and ''Warlocq''. Berlocq's career-high singles ranking was World No. 37, achieved in March 2012. His ...

, this represented Benoît's first main draw participation at this level. Despite this, Paire had to qualify in

, and lost in the final round of qualifying to

David Goffin David Goffin (; born 7 December 1990) is a Belgian professional tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ATP rankings, ranking of world No. 7, making him the highest ranked male player from Belgium in tennis history. He is also the first ...

. Following the North American swing, Paire returned to the clay in

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

, making his second quarter-final appearance of the season. Benoît resumed the clay court season in

, losing in the second round for the second year in a row. The week after Benoît made it to his first ATP World Tour singles final at the Serbian Open, part of the ATP 250 series. On his way to the final Paire knocked out the sixth seed, third seed and top seed (

Pablo Andújar Pablo Andújar Alba (; born 23 January 1986) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. Andújar has won four ATP Tour singles titles and reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 32 in July 2015. His best results are reaching the ...

), before losing in the final to

Andreas Seppi Andreas Seppi (born 21 February 1984) is an Italian former professional tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 18 on 28 January 2013. He became the first Italian to win a title on all three surfaces. Personal lif ...

in straight sets. Benoît made his seventh clay-court appearance of the season in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionRoger-Vasselin. At the

, Benoît reached the second round for the first time in his career, losing to eventual semi-finalist

David Ferrer David Ferrer Ern (; ; born 2 April 1982) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in July 2013. Ferrer won 27 ATP Tour singles titles, including a ...

in straight sets. Paire didn't play a warm-up event at either

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

or Halle, yet reached the third round at

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

, his best performance in a Grand Slam event, beating

Matthew Ebden Matthew Ebden (born 26 November 1987) is an Australian professional tennis player who reached a career high of List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players, world No. 1 in doubles. Ebden is a three-time Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam ch ...

and twenty-second seed

Alexandr Dolgopolov Alexandr Oleksandrovych Dolgopolov (born 7 November 1988), formerly known as Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr., is a Ukrainian retired professional tennis player. He changed his forename spelling to the current form in May 2010. Dolgopolov reached the qu ...

on the way. He lost to American qualifier Brian Baker in the third round. He followed up his impressive grass-court run at Wimbledon with a semi-finalist showing at s-Hertogenbosch, losing to eventual winner

in three sets. On 16 July 2012, Benoît defeated eighth-seeded

Bernard Tomic Bernard Tomic (; , ; born 21 October 1992) is an Australian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 17 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Tomic has won four singles titles on the ATP To ...

in straight sets in the first round of the Swiss Open. He lost against Latvian,

Ernests Gulbis Ernests Gulbis (, born 30 August 1988) is a Latvian former professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking is world No. 10, making him the only male Latvian tennis player ever to be ranked inside the top 10, a feat achieved in June 20 ...

, in the second round. Paire entered an

ATP Tour The ATP Tour (known as ATP World Tour between January 2009 and December 2018) is the sole worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) founded in 1990 that replaced the earlier dual Grand Prix ...

event as the number one

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

for the first time in his career at the

Farmers Classic A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...

in July, but lost at the first hurdle to American Michael Russell.

2013: Maiden Masters semifinal and first top 10 win

Paire started his

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

season in promising fashion, reaching the semi-finals in his first tournament of the year in Chennai before making his 2nd ATP World Tour final at

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

. Playing in front of his parents, he lost in straight sets to an in-form

Richard Gasquet Richard Gabriel Cyr Gasquet (; born 18 June 1986) is a French former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 7 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP, attained in July 2007. Gasquet won 16 singles ...

. "I really needed them to see how I have changed and I need to keep going. I feel I am on the right track if I stay calm and focused", he said. His performance in this tournament rose him to a career-high (at the time) ranking of 38 in the world. After a first-round exit at the Miami Masters event, Paire reached his second final of the season at the Le Gossier Challenger event in Guadeloupe. This time he prevailed after a tough 3-set battle with

Sergiy Stakhovsky Sergiy Eduardovych Stakhovsky (, ; born January 6, 1986) is a Ukrainian former professional tennis player. Stakhovsky turned professional in 2003 and played mostly at the Challenger level from 2005 to 2008. His career-high rankings were World No ...

, claiming his third challenger level win and reaching a new career-high ranking of 33 on 1 April 2013. At the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Paire defeated World No. 7

Juan Martín del Potro Juan Martín del Potro (; born 23 September 1988) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), in August 2018. Del Potro won 22 ATP Tour-level sing ...

6–4, 7–6^(7–3) to record his first career singles win over a Top 10 player and reach the singles quarterfinals of an

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 The ATP 1000 events, also known as ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, are an annual series of nine tennis tournaments featuring the top-ranked players on the ATP Tour since its inception in 1990. The ATP 1000 tournaments, sitting below the Gran ...

tournament for the first time in his career. Paire went on to reach the semifinals where he was beaten in two tight sets by

Roger Federer Roger Federer ( , ; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 3 ...

. At the tournament in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

in October, the 6th-seeded Paire beat the 2nd-seeded

Milos Raonic Milos Raonic ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Раонић, Miloš Raonić, ; born December 27, 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP ...

of Canada in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals, where he lost to

Grigor Dimitrov Grigor Dimitrov Dimitrov (, ; born 16 May 1991) is a Bulgarian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP, making him the highest-ranked Bulgari ...

in three sets.

2014: Injury and comeback

Paire began his 2014 season in the

, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to

Marcel Granollers Marcel Granollers Pujol (; ; born 12 April 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 1 on 6 May 2024, becoming the second Spanish man to achieve the feat (after Emilio Sánchez Vicari ...

in three sets. At the

, Paire battled past

Nick Kyrgios Nicholas Hilmy Kyrgios ( ; ; born 27 April 1995) is an Australian professional tennis player. Kyrgios has been ranked as high as world No. 13 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved on 24 October 2016. He has won se ...

from 2 sets down in the second round to beat the Australian teenager, however, lost to

Roberto Bautista Agut Roberto Bautista Agut (; born 14 April 1988) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 9 by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP in singles, achieved on 4 November 2019. Bautista Agut ...

in straight sets in the third round. He missed every tournament in February and March due to a knee injury, including Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and

. He made his return during the clay court season, first playing at the

Grand Prix Hassan II The Grand Prix Hassan II is an annual men's tennis tournament on the ATP Tour and is currently part of the ATP Tour 250 series. The event is played on clay courts and was held annually at the Complexe Al Amal in Casablanca, Morocco through 2015 ...

, making it to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion

Guillermo García López Guillermo García López (, born 4 June 1983) is a Spanish tennis coach and a former professional player. He won five singles titles and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 23 in February 2011. As of 2021, he collected thirte ...

. This was followed by an appearance in Monte-Carlo, losing his opening match to qualifier

Albert Montañés Albert Montañés Roca (, ; born 26 November 1980) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He first entered the top 100 in 2001, achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 22 in 2010, and has won six singles titles and two doubl ...

, the same player he'd beaten in his opening match in Casablanca. A recurrence of his knee injury forced Paire to retire towards the end of his first match in

, and subsequently withdraw from the Portugal Open. He started the Madrid Masters against

, however further recurrence of his knee injury forced him to retire after just two games. He withdrew from the

Rome Masters The Italian Open () is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is played on clay courts at the Foro Italico, and is held during the second week of May. The tournament is part of the ATP 1000 events on the ATP Tour and ...

to allow his knee to recover, however did start the

, ending a run of four consecutive defeats by beating

Alejandro Falla Alejandro Falla Ramírez (; born 14 November 1983) is a Colombian former professional tennis player. The left-hander turned professional in 2000 and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 48 in July 2012. At the 2006 Wimbledon tou ...

in the first round before losing to

in his next match. Paire suffered three consecutive losses during the grass court season, at

queen's Club The Queen's Club is a private sporting club in Barons Court, West Kensington, London, England. The club hosts the annual Queen's Club Championships grass court lawn tennis tournament (currently known as the "HSBC Championships" for spo ...

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

and

respectively, followed by a further first round loss in

. In June 2014, after he lost in the first round at Wimbledon, he said that he was happy to lose because he "hates" the tournament. At the Rogers Cup, Paire had to make it through the qualifying draw due to his ranking having dropped to 98th in the world. He beat Falla in the first round before losing a tightly contested match against third seed

. He qualified for

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, however, lost his first round match against wildcard Steve Johnson, resulting in Paire dropping out of the top 100 for the first time since April 2012. At the US Open, Paire made a promising start by beating 24th seed

Julien Benneteau Julien Henry Guy Benneteau-Desgrois (; born 20 December 1981) is a French retired professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 25 and doubles ranking of No. 5 in November 2014. Benneteau did not win a singles ti ...

in five sets, 7–6^(7–4), 5–7, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4. However, he fell in the second round to Spaniard

Pablo Carreño Busta Pablo Carreño Busta (; born 12 July 1991) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 10 by the ATP, which he first achieved on 11 September 2017. He also reached a best doubles ranking of No. 16 on 17 July ...

2015: First ATP Tour singles title and first Grand Slam fourth round

Paire (who was unseeded), won his first ATP Tour singles title in July at the

Swedish Open The Swedish Open is a professional tennis tournament held in Båstad, Sweden. It is played on outdoor clay courts in July. The men's event (sponsored by Skistar) is an ATP Tour 250 tournament on the ATP Tour. The women's event (sponsored by ...

, defeating the top three seeds, including second-seeded

Tommy Robredo Tomás Robredo Garcés (, ; born 1 May 1982) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 5, which he reached in August 2006 as a result of winning the 2006 Hamburg Masters – Singles, Hamburg M ...

in the final. Paire defeated the 2014 US Open singles runner-up and 4th seed

Kei Nishikori is a Japanese professional tennis player. He is the only Japanese man in the Open Era to have been ranked in the top five in singles, reaching his career-high ranking of world No. 4 in March 2015, and the second man in history to do so after ...

in the 1st round of the US Open, before going on to defeat

in the 3rd round of the US Open to reach the singles 4th round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. He lost his 4th-round match to his compatriot,

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (; born 17 April 1985) is a French former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 5 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he achieved in February 2012. Tsonga won 18 singles titles on th ...

, in straight sets.

2016: Career high top 20 ranking

At the

2016 Australian Open The 2016 Australian Open was a List of tennis tournaments, tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park between 18 and 31 January 2016. It was the 104th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam tourname ...

, although he was seeded 17th, Paire lost in the first round in three tie-breaks to American teen-aged wildcard Noah Rubin, ranked # 328 in the world. On 19 July,

withdrew from the 2016 Olympics tennis tournament because of his back injury. Gasquet would be replaced by Paire in the men's singles draw. On 9 August, Paire (seeded no.16) had two match points in the third and final set of his Olympic tournament second round match against

, but Fognini ended up winning the match. Moments after being knocked out of the Olympic tournament, the

French Tennis Federation The French Tennis Federation (, FFT) is the governing body for tennis in France. It was founded in 1920, and is tasked with the organisation, co-ordination and promotion of the sport. It is recognised by the International Tennis Federation and by ...

booted Paire out of his country's Olympic Games squad and ordered him to leave the athletes' village for "flouting the rules" and "poor behaviour".

2017: Wimbledon fourth round

Paire entered his first ATP World Tour tournament of 2017 by playing in the

, where he lost in the singles semifinals to the eventual champion

. At the

Paire lost in the third round to the eighth seed

Dominic Thiem Dominic Thiem (; born 3 September 1993) is an Austrian former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he first achieved in March 2020. Thiem won 17 ATP Tour-level s ...

. Paire lost three other ATP World Tour singles semifinals in the first half of 2017 –

Open Sud de France The Open Occitanie (formerly known as the Open Sud de France and Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon) is a professional tennis tournament played on Tennis court#Indoor courts, indoor hardcourts. It is currently part of the ATP Tour 250 series of the ATP ...

(where he lost to

and MercedesCup (where he lost to

Lucas Pouille Lucas Pouille (, born 23 February 1994) is a French professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 10, achieved on 19 March 2018 and a career-high ATP doubles ranking of world No. 79, achieved on 11 April 2016. ...

). Paire, who was attempting to reach his first career Grand Slam singles quarter-final, lost in straight sets in the fourth round of

to top-seeded defending champion

Andy Murray Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a British former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professio ...

. In September, Paire (seeded no. 7) reached his first and only ATP World Tour singles final of 2017 at the Moselle Open, losing the final to the German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk in straight sets.

2018: Second Rome Masters third round

Paire started his 2018 season at the Maharashtra Open. Seeded fourth, he reached the semifinals where he lost to second seed, world No. 14, and eventual finalist, Kevin Anderson. In

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, he knocked out second seed, world No. 25, and defending champion,

Gilles Müller Gilles Müller (; born 9 May 1983) is a Luxembourgish former professional tennis player. He is a two-time major singles quarterfinalist, making him by far the most successful male tennis player in Luxembourgish history. Müller won two titles on ...

, in his quarterfinal match. He was defeated in the semifinals by Australian rising star and eventual finalist,

Alex de Minaur Alex de Minaur Román (born 17 February 1999) is an Australian professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP singles ranking of No. 6 on 15 July 2024 and a doubles ranking of No. 58 on 12 October ...

. At the

, he lost in the first round to

. In February, Paire played at the

. He made it to the quarterfinals where he was beaten by second seed, world No. 17, compatriot, and eventual champion,

. In

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

, he lost in the second round to

Borna Ćorić Borna Ćorić (; born 14 November 1996) is a Croatian professional tennis player. On 5 November 2018, he reached his best singles ranking of world No. 12. In 2022, Ćorić became the lowest-ranked champion in ATP Tour Masters 1000, Masters 1000 h ...

. At the

BNP Paribas Open The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California, United States. It is played on outdoor hardcourts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and is held in March. The tournament is pa ...

, he was defeated in the first round by American qualifier

Mitchell Krueger Mitchell Krueger (born January 12, 1994) is an American tennis player. He has a career-high singles ranking by the ATP of world No. 135, achieved on July 18, 2022 and a doubles ranking of No. 173, achieved on April 27, 2015. Professional caree ...

. At the Miami Open, he upset ninth seed, world No. 12, and six-time champion,

Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, separator=" / ", ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at N ...

, in the second round. He fell in his third-round match to 22nd seed and world No. 27,

Filip Krajinović Filip Krajinović (, ; born 27 February 1992) is a Serbian former professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 26 on 23 April 2018.

. Paire started his clay-court season at the

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

. Seeded sixth, he lost in the first round to compatriot,

, in three sets, despite having a match point in the third set. In Monte-Carlo, he was defeated in the first round by

Feliciano López Feliciano López Díaz-Guerra (; born 20 September 1981) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He achieved his career-high singles ATP rankings, ranking of world No. 12 in March 2015 and doubles ranking of world No. 9 in November 2016. ...

. At the 2018 Washington Open, Paire smashed his tennis rackets onto the court 7 times and was fined $16,500 for his conduct.

2019: Second and third ATP Tour singles titles, French and Wimbledon fourth rounds

At the

(the only ATP Tour tournament held in Africa in 2019), Paire won the second ATP Tour singles title of his career by defeating the defending champion

in straight sets 6–2, 6–3 in the final held on 14 April. At the

Lyon Open Lyon Open may refer to: *ATP Lyon Open, a men's professional tennis tournament *WTA Lyon Open, a women's professional tennis tournament {{disambiguation ...

, the unseeded Paire won the third ATP Tour singles title of his career. At that tournament, he defeated two seeded players –

Denis Shapovalov Denis Viktorovich Shapovalov (born ) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 10 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP, which he first achieved on September 21, 2020. Sh ...

in the quarterfinals and rising teen

Félix Auger-Aliassime Felix Auger-Aliassime (; born August 8, 2000) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He has a career-high singles ranking of No. 6, which he achieved on November 7, 2022, making him the second-highest-ranked Canadian man in ATP rankings histor ...

in the final. At the

, the unseeded Paire advanced to the round of 16, where he was defeated in five sets by no.7 seed

. He also advanced to the fourth round of the 2019 Wimbledon.

2020: Ninth ATP final, loss of form during COVID season

Paire started his 2020 season by representing France at the first edition of the ATP Cup. France was in Group A alongside Chile, Serbia, and South Africa. He won his first match over

Nicolás Jarry Nicolás Jarry Fillol (; born 10 October 1995) is a Chilean professional tennis player. He achieved his highest Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP singles ranking of world 16 in May 2024 and is the current No. 3 player from Chile. His hi ...

of Chile. In his second match, he beat

Dušan Lajović Dušan Lajović ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Лајовић; born 30 June 1990) is a Serbian professional tennis player. On 29 April 2019, he reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 23. On 21 September 2020, he peaked at No. 82 in the doubl ...

of Serbia. In his final match, he lost to Kevin Anderson of South Africa. In the end, France ended 3rd in Group A. Seeded fifth at the ASB Classic in Auckland, he reached his ninth ATP singles final and lost to compatriot

Ugo Humbert Ugo Humbert (; born 26 June 1998) is a French professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 13, achieved on 15 April 2024 and a doubles ranking of No. 348, achieved on 26 August 2024. Humbert has won seven AT ...

. Seeded 21st at the

, he was defeated in the second round by 2018 finalist

Marin Čilić Marin Čilić (; born 28 September 1988) is a Croatian professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved on 28 January 2018. Čilić has won 21 ATP Tour-level si ...

. After the Australian Open, Paire competed at the Maharashtra Open in Pune. As the top seed, he suffered a second-round loss at the hands of qualifier Roberto Marcora. In

, he lost in the first round to

Aljaž Bedene Aljaž Bedene (born 18 July 1989) is a Slovenian former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as No. 43 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he achieved in February 2018. He reached four singles finals ...

. Seeded sixth at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille, he lost in the second round to

Alexander Bublik Alexander Stanislavovich Bublik (; born 17 June 1997) is a Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player. He has a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP singles ranking of world No. 17, achieved on 6 May 2024 and a doubles ...

. Seeded eighth at the Dubai Championships, he fell in the second round to compatriot

. The ATP tour canceled tournaments from March through July due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. When the ATP resumed tournament play in August, Paire competed at the Western & Southern Open. Instead of the tournament being held in Cincinnati, it was held in New York. He retired during his first round match against

due to being unwell. He tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

one day prior to the start of the US Open. Paire returned to action in September by competing at the Italian Open. He lost in the first round to Italian wildcard

Jannik Sinner Jannik Sinner (born 16 August 2001) is an Italian professional tennis player. He is currently ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the ATP, the first Italian to reach the top ranking. Sinner has won 19 singles titles on the ATP Tour ...

. At the

Hamburg Open The Hamburg Open (formerly ''German Open Tennis Championships'') is an annual tennis tournament for professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour and the Women's Tennis Association ...

, he retired during his first-round match against

Casper Ruud Casper Ruud (; born 22 December 1998) is a Norwegian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 2 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved in September 2022, making him t ...

; he tested positive for Covid prior to the match. Seeded 23rd at the

, he lost in the second round to

Federico Coria Federico Coria (born 9 March 1992) is an Argentine professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 49, achieved on 13 February 2023 and a doubles ranking of No. 238, achieved on 22 November 2021. Coria has won ...

. After Roland Garros, Paire played at the first edition of the Bett1Hulks Indoors, a tournament primarily organized due to the cancellation of many tournaments in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeded fourth, he was defeated in the second round by Dennis Novak. His final tournament of the year was at the first edition of the Astana Open, another tournament organized due to the cancellation of many tournaments because of COVID-19. As the top seed, he lost in the second round to

Mikhail Kukushkin Mikhail Aleksandrovich Kukushkin (; born 26 December 1987) is a Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 39, achieved on 25 February 2019. Career 2006–10: Turned pro, Masters ...

. Paire ended the year ranked No. 28.

2021: Olympics participation ban, Cincinnati quarterfinal, Two Major third rounds & top 65 in doubles

Paire began his 2021 season by competing for France at the ATP Cup. France was in Group C alongside Italy and Austria. He lost his first match to

. He then retired from his match against

due to an elbow injury. In the end, France ended 2nd in Group C. At the

, he was eliminated in the first round by

Egor Gerasimov Yegor Alekseyevich Gerasimov () or Yahor Alyakseyevich Herasimaŭ (; born 11 November 1992 in Minsk) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 65, which he achieved on 24 February 2020. He ...

in four sets. He blamed the loss on 'shameful' treatment of players by the tournament organizers during quarantine and associated training restrictions, describing the tournament as 'shit', 'crap', and 'grotesque'. This outburst resulted in him being barred by

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

from participation in the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Seeded second at the Córdoba Open, Paire reached the quarterfinals where he was defeated by

. However, in doubles, he and partner,

Romain Arneodo Romain Arneodo (born 4 August 1992) is a French-born Monégasque professional tennis player who specializes in doubles.(in FrenchRomain Arneodo pourra représenter Monaco en Coupe Davis sur ''codesport.fr'', 30 septembre 2013 He has a career-hig ...

, made it to the final where they fell to Brazilian team Rafael Matos and Felipe Meligeni Alves. Seeded third in

, he lost in the second round to Argentinian qualifier Francisco Cerúndolo. Seeded second at the Chile Open, he was beaten in the second round by qualifier

Holger Rune Holger Vitus Nødskov Rune (; born 29 April 2003) is a Danish professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 4 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), making him the highest-ranked Da ...

. At the Mexican Open in Acapulco, he lost in the first round to top seed, world No. 5, and eventual finalist,

Stefanos Tsitsipas Stefanos Tsitsipas (, ; born 12 August 1998) is a Greek professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), first achieved in August 2021 – mak ...

. Seeded 23rd in

, he was defeated in the second round by Lorenzo Musetti. Paire started his clay-court season by competing at the

Monte-Carlo Masters The Monte-Carlo Masters (also known as the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters for sponsorship reasons) is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, which borders on Monaco. It is played on clay cour ...

. He lost in a three-hour first-round match to Jordan Thompson. Playing in

, he was eliminated in the first round by lucky loser

Federico Gaio Federico Gaio (; born 5 March 1992) is an Italian professional tennis player. He competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour and the ITF circuit. He has won four Challenger titles and nine ITF futures singles titles. He reached his career high A ...

. At the 2021 Western & Southern Open Paire reached just his second Masters 1000 quarterfinal (first was in Rome 2013) where he was defeated by eventual finalist

Andrey Rublev Andrey Andreyevich Rublev (; born 20 October 1997) is a Russian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 5 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he first achieved in September 2021 ...

. En route he defeated World No. 10

, his seventh top-10 win and

John Isner John Robert Isner (born April 26, 1985) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 8 in singles and No. 14 in doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Considered one of the best servers ...

. At the

2021 French Open The 2021 French Open was a Grand Slam (tennis), major level tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from 30 May to 13 June 2021, comprising singles, doubles and mixed doubles pla ...

and 2021 US Open he reached the third rounds in doubles for the first time with R. Arneodo and R. Berankis respectively which allowed him to reach his career-high of No. 65 on 8 November 2021.

2022: Loss of form, out of top 150

Paire started his 2022 season at the first edition of the Melbourne Summer Set 1. He retired for undisclosed reasons during the third set of his first-round match against lucky loser

Henri Laaksonen Henri Joona Julius Laaksonen (, Swiss Standard German: ; born 31 March 1992) is a Swiss inactive professional tennis player. His highest singles ranking is world No. 84, which he achieved on 14 February 2022, and his highest doubles ranking is wo ...

. At the Adelaide International 2, he lost in the first round to Australian wildcard and eventual champion,

Thanasi Kokkinakis Athanasios "Thanasi" Kokkinakis ( ; ; born 10 April 1996) is an Australian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 65 in singles by the ATP, achieved on 6 November 2023. He also has a career-high doubles ranking of ...

. At the

, he reached the third round defeating 26th seed

before losing in four sets to world No. 4

. Seeded seventh at the Córdoba Open, Paire was eliminated in the first round by

Jaume Munar Jaume Antoni Munar Clar (; ; born 5 May 1997) is a Spanish professional tennis player. Munar has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 52 achieved on 20 May 2019 and a doubles ranking of No. 98 achieved on 21 April 2025. He is currently ...

. At the Argentina Open, he fell in the first round to fifth seed

in three sets, despite having three match points in the second set. In Rio, he lost in the first round to Francisco Cerúndolo. At the Mexican Open, he was defeated in the first round by top seed and world No. 2,

Daniil Medvedev Daniil Sergeyevich Medvedev ( rus, Даниил Сергеевич Медведев, p=dənʲɪˈil sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 11 February 1996) is a Russian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ...

. Playing at the

, he was beaten in the first round by Dominik Koepfer in three sets, despite having a 6–2, 5–2 lead in the match. As the top seed at the Arizona Classic, he lost in the second round to

Radu Albot Radu Albot (born 11 November 1989) is a Moldovan professional tennis player. He achieved a career high ranking of No. 39 on 5 August 2019, making him the highest ranked player from Moldova. He is the first player from Moldova to win ATP Tour t ...

. In

, he lost in the first round to Henri Laaksonen. Beginning his clay-court season at the

, Paire lost in the first round to Lorenzo Musetti. In

, he was defeated in the first round by

Kwon Soon-woo Kwon Soon-woo (; born 2 December 1997) is a South Korean professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 52 ranking by the ATP, achieved in November 2021 and a doubles ranking of world No. 224, attained in December 2022. ...

. At the Estoril Open, he lost in the first round to Kwon Soon-woo. Getting past qualifying at the Mutua Madrid Open, he lost in the first round to 13th seed and world No. 15,

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. In

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, he fell in the first round of qualifying to

. At the Geneva Open, he got his first ATP win since January by beating Emil Ruusuvuori in the first round in three sets. He lost in the second round to second seed, world No. 8, defending champion, and eventual champion,

. At the

, he was defeated in the first round by

Ilya Ivashka Ilya Uladzimiravich Ivashka (; ; born 24 February 1994) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Ivashka has a career-high singles ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) of No. 40, achieved on 20 June 2022. He also has a car ...

in four sets. Starting his grass-court season at the BOSS Open in Stuttgart, Paire lost in the first round to sixth seed

Lorenzo Sonego Lorenzo Sonego (; born 11 May 1995) is an Italian professional tennis player. Sonego has won four singles titles on the ATP Tour, and two doubles titles. He has a career high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP singles ATP rankings, ranking o ...

. Seeded second at the

Aspria Tennis Cup The Aspria Tennis Cup (formerly Zenith Tennis Cup) is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ATP Challenger Tour, Challenger Tour. It is held annua ...

, a clay-court challenger in Milan, he retired during his first-round match against Alexey Vatutin. At

, he lost in the first round to compatriot

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. The week of July 18 saw Paire compete at the Swiss Open Gstaad. He retired from his first-round match against qualifier

Elias Ymer Elias Ymer (born 10 April 1996) is a Swedish tennis player. Ymer has a career high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP singles ranking of World No. 105, achieved on 11 June 2018. He has a career high ATP doubles ranking of World No. 188, ac ...

due to a right groin injury. Paire started the US Open Series at the Atlanta Open. He lost in the first round to sixth seed and eventual finalist,

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. As a result, his ranking fell from No. 94 to out of the top 100 at No. 112. At the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., he got his first ATP tour victory since May by defeating Peter Gojowczyk in the first round. He was defeated in the second round by ninth seed and world No. 28,

. Getting past qualifying at the National Bank Open in Montreal, he lost in the first round to

Yoshihito Nishioka is a Japanese professional tennis player. He has won three ATP Tour singles titles and achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 24 on 19 June 2023. He is currently the No. 2 Japanese player. Personal life Marriage Nishioka marr ...

. At the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, he retired during his first round of qualifying match against Thanasi Kokkinakis. Due to not defending his quarterfinalist points from last year, his ranking fell from 110 to 164. At the US Open, he lost in the first round to seventh seed and world No. 9,

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. After the US Open, Paire played at the

Open de Rennes The Open de Rennes is a tennis List of tennis tournaments, tournament held in Rennes, France since 2006. The event is part of the ATP Challenger Tour and is played on indoor hardcourts. Past finals Singles Doubles External links * ITF sea ...

. Seeded seventh, he reached the quarterfinals where he lost to top seed and compatriot, Hugo Gaston. Seeded eighth at the Braga Open, he retired during his second-round match against qualifier Javier Barranco Cosano due to respiratory issues. He returned to action during the week of September 26 at the Lisboa Belém Open. He made it to the quarterfinals where he lost to Timofey Skatov. At the Brest Challenger, he retired during his second-round encounter against fifth seed, Jelle Sels, due to injuring his lower back. He played his final tournament of the season in November at the Matsuyama Challenger. Seeded fifth, he retired during his second-round match against

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citing a wrist injury. Paire ended the year ranked No. 179.

2023: Back to Challenger Tour, French Open wildcard

Paire started his 2023 season at the Open Nouvelle-Calédonie in

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French Sui generis collectivity, special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest Francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main i ...

. Seeded sixth, he reached the quarterfinals where he lost to eventual champion Raúl Brancaccio. At the Tenerife Challenger, he was defeated in the first round by Kaichi Uchida. At the

, he fell in the second round of qualifying to Michael Mmoh. At the Open Quimper Bretagne, Paire lost in the first round to qualifier Illya Marchenko. Seeded eighth at the Tenerife Challenger II, he was defeated in the first round by

Santiago Rodríguez Taverna Santiago Rodríguez Taverna (born 16 July 1999) is an Argentine professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high ATP (ATP) singles ranking of world No. 157 on 29 August 2022, and a career-high doubles ranking of No. 160 on 20 November 2022. ...

. In

, he fell in the final round of qualifying to Luca Nardi. At the Monterrey Challenger, he lost in the second round to eighth seed

Yosuke Watanuki is a Japanese professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP ranking of World No. 72 achieved on 30 October 2023 and a doubles ranking of No. 374 achieved on 7 January 2019. He is currently the No. 6 Japanese player. Career 2016: Junior ...

. In Waco, he was defeated in the first round by sixth seed Borna Gojo. Seeded fifth at the Puerto Vallarta Open, Paire won his 13th Challenger title by beating Yuta Shimizu in the final. This was his first tennis title since 2019. At the Arizona Classic, he lost in the first round of qualifying to Leandro Riedi. Getting past qualifying at the Miami Open, he lost his first-round match again to fellow qualifier Yosuke Watanuki. He received a wildcard for the

2023 French Open The 2023 French Open was a Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from 28 May to 11 June 2023, comprising singles, doubles and mixed doubles play. ...

, losing in the first round to

. In July, Paire won his 14th Challenger title in San Benedetto, Italy as the 8th seed, defeating top seed

in the finals.

Playing style

Paire's style of play is characterized by its flashiness, unpredictability and at times inconsistency. The main strength of his game is his double-handed backhand, known for its speed and spin. Paire often uses topspin backhands crosscourt at great speed and acute angles to set up a powerful backhand down-the-line to finish off points. In contrast, his forehand is relatively less powerful and consistent, particularly when played on the defense, to the extent that he's been known to hit backhands inside-out. Paire is also known for his ability and willingness to play drop shots often on both the forehand and backhand wing throughout matches. When volleying, he also favors drop over punching volleys and is famous for hitting them with extreme backspin, sometimes even causing the ball to spin back across the net. However, these drop shot attempts sometimes give opponents the advantage when they are hit too deep, causing Paire to lose the point. He is also fond of hitting between-the-legs shots, both forward and with his back facing the net. Paire possesses a powerful but inconsistent first serve and serves-and-volleys on occasion. Above all, Paire is known for his flashiness on the court that plays to the crowd. He is known to hit a variety of high-risk shots and trick shots, such as the frontal and back tweener, jumping tweener, drop shots that backspin towards the net and topspin backhands at extremely acute angles, even when unnecessary to win the point.

Performance timelines

Singles

''Current through the 2024 French Open.''

Doubles

ATP Tour career finals

Singles: 9 (3 titles, 6 runner-ups)

Doubles: 4 (1 title, 3 runner-ups)

ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures Tour finals

Singles: 30 (14 titles, 16 runner-ups)

Doubles: 3 (1–2)

Wins over top 10 players

*He has a record against players who were ranked in the top 10 at the time the match was played.

References

External links

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paire, Benoit 1989 births Living people French male tennis players Hopman Cup competitors Sportspeople from Avignon Olympic tennis players for France Tennis players at the 2016 Summer Olympics 21st-century French sportsmen Occitan sportspeople