Paire satisfied despite his defeat in Abidjan: "I had a great time"

For his first match in two months since Manama, Benoît Paire lost to Estonian player Daniil Glinka in the first round of the Abidjan Challenger in Ivory Coast. Struggling with a wrist injury in recent weeks, the 35-year-old made his first appearance since February 11 but ultimately fell in a tight match (6-4, 5-7, 6-4).

On his Instagram account, Paire, a former top-20 player, shared a message stating he had an enjoyable time in the African city despite his early exit, marking his fifth consecutive defeat.

"Thank you, Abidjan. I had a great time on the court yesterday despite the loss. But honestly, there was something more important than the result. I was already very happy to be able to play tennis without too much pain and to enjoy myself, even with limited training since my return.

Now, I can prepare for the second half of the season, which I’m sure will be good. It truly means a lot to see all this support at every tournament I play. And yesterday was really amazing. Thank you!" Paire wrote.