Fans spot bizarre detail in Benoit Paire's French Open outfit
Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a bizarre detail on enigmatic Frenchman Benoit Paire's outfit during his First Round Roland Garros match.
Paire has been involved in a number of tennis controversies over the last year and most recently slammed the 'cemetery' like atmosphere at the Monte Carlo Open.
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He was also banned from selection for France at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics after 'deeply inappropriate behaviour' in recent times.
To add to his frustration with the sport, Paire recently split with his clothing sponsor, Lacoste, earlier this year.
Paire is without a sponsor and has been wearing unbranded apparel in tournaments in the lead up to the Grand Slam.
But in his First Round match at the French Open, fans noticed Paire appeared to wear the ball kids' Roland Garros polo without the sponsor's symbol.
The Lacoste crocodile appeared to have been removed.
@UniWatch Benoit Paire, currently without a clothing sponsor, wearing what appears to be a Lacoste x Rolando Garros ball boy polo, but with the Lacoste logo ripped off. Paire was previously with Lacoste. https://t.co/fuAcO7USKx pic.twitter.com/6KP6d6jwZK
— Mark A. Brieve (@MarkBrieve) May 31, 2021
A photo below appears to confirm the detail with the 2021 Roland Garros ball kid wearing the polo.
The ball kids' Lacoste apparel is available on the Roland Garros online store.
Regardless of the bizarre outfit, the fiery Frenchman appeared to be ready for a Roland Garros push after taking the first set against Casper Rudd.
But in his typical 2021 fashion, Paire's game disappeared and Rudd went on to claim the next three sets to advance to the Second Round.
Paire went on to thank the crowd following the game for the fervent support, despite only 1,000 fans allowed into the arena due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
Benoit Paire's history of poor behaviour
Renowned as a hothead, Paire has had several indiscretions through his career.
He was kicked out of the Rio Olympics in 2016 by the French delegation for spending too much time away from the athletes' village.
After being knocked out of the first round of the Australian Open, Paire launched a tirade at organisers, accusing them of "shameful" treatment of players during quarantine before the grand slam.
“I think it's sh*t, and what happened is shameful," Paire told French media.
“I'm very happy with my level... but this tournament, I think it's really crap.
"There was also a positive case on the flight to Adelaide but there, they had time to take blood samples. We were told to quarantine.
"Either we do the same things and the same rules for everyone. I do not understand why it's not fair for everyone.
“This match, I could have won it if I had had one or two more training sessions, a normal preparation.
"It's all about the money. There is a huge loss if they don't make the tournament."
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