Benoit Paire is having a forgettable year but is confident that he'll tap into his best tennis at the 2022 Roland Garros.
Paire is a seasoned campaigner on the ATP Tour with a previous career-high ranking of World No. 18. He has won three ATP titles, all on clay, the last of which was in 2019.
But it's fair to say Paire was one of those players who was severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic that brought the tennis calendar to a standstill in 2020.
He was ranked 22nd in the ATP rankings when the tour was shut down in March two years ago. On resumption, the Frenchman struggled to find his best tennis, losing in more matches than actual wins in 2020 and 2021.
The 33-year-old had hoped to begin 2022 on a clean slate, but that has not been the case. Between January and mid-May, Paire posted just two main draw wins on Tour, both coming at the Australian Open in January, when he made the third round.
He snapped a 12-match losing streak while competing at the ATP 250 event in Geneva this past week when he stunned Emil Ruusuvuori in three sets. But he could not replicate that performance in the second round, where he lost to Casper Ruud.
Writing on his Instagram account, Paire reflected on what he called a "disastrous" season so far, which he hoped would bring a ray of sunlight at the French Open. He also mentioned that he has struggled to cope with his mental health.
"I'm having a disastrous start to the season, I'm not playing my best tennis, I'm not at my best mentally but it's Roland Garros and it's my favorite tournament where something magical can happen. Let's have an incredible time whole!! I don't promise you the best tennis match of your life, but let's set this court on fire and love it!!!"