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French tennis star Benoit Paire rages after testing positive to Covid-19 for '250th time'

Author
news.com.au,
Publish Date
Thu, 30 Dec 2021, 3:19PM
Frenchman Benoit Paire. Photosport
Frenchman Benoit Paire. Photosport

French tennis star Benoit Paire rages after testing positive to Covid-19 for '250th time'

Author
news.com.au,
Publish Date
Thu, 30 Dec 2021, 3:19PM

French tennis player Benoit Paire has revealed he has tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of next month's Australian Open. 

The world No. 46 had been due to play in a lead-in tournament in Melbourne starting on January 4 but those plans have been disrupted. 

Paire appears to be in isolating in quarantine in an unknown location after testing positive for Covid, and he is clearly fed up by the ordeal. 

"Hey my name is Benoit Paire, and for the 250th time I tested positive for Covid!!" he said in an Instagram story posted on Wednesday. 

"Honestly I can't deal with this Covid s*** anymore. How am I doing? Because of Covid I got a runny nose, but because of all these quarantines spent in a hotel room halfway across the world, I don't feel good mentally. 

"Last year was tough, and this year starts exactly the same way!!" 

The 32-year-old is vaccinated and clarified he is "100 per cent" in favour of vaccines. 

"Just one thing, I'm 100% for the vaccine, but let's just live as before Covid, otherwise I don't see the point," he added. 

The Australian Open gets underway on January 22, leaving Paire a few weeks to test negative and assess if he is fit to play in the tournament. 

His latest positive test continues a run of bad luck for the flamboyant player, who has made it to the fourth round at grand slams on several occasions. 

Paire was ruled out of the 2020 US Open after testing positive to Covid just days before his first match. 

Then earlier this year, he was forced to endure 14 days of hard quarantine before the Australian Open after a person on his flight to Melbourne tested positive to Covid. 

Paire then lost in the first round and launched a stunning attack on the Australian Open, calling the tournament "s**t" and attacking organisers for not treating the players with respect. 

He was banned from representing France at the Tokyo Olympics following several on-court misdemeanours including spitting and blatantly tanking a match. 

The Australian Open could be without several big names as many top players battle Covid or injury. 

Rafael Nadal and Russia's Andrey Rublev have tested positive to Covid in the past week, while Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka will miss the Australian Open with injury. 

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