Benoit Paire receives code violation for lack of effort in Wimbledon opener 

It has been a dismal season for Benoit Paire, though even that might be generous. The Frenchman trailed No. 9 seed Diego Schwartzman, 6-3, 6-4, in his Wimbledon opener on Monday when play was suspended due to rain. Paire came back on Tuesday to resume the first-round match on Court 2, only claiming five total points in the third and final set.

After losing five consecutive games, Paire went into full a meltdown and purposefully hit two returns into the bottom of the net. Umpire Mohamed Lahyani then gave him a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct. Paire instantly erupted in anger and walked over to the bench and requested to see a physio, which the chair umpire denied.

During the heated conversation one fan shouted from the stands: "You're wasting everybody's time!"

After a few back-and-forth exchanges, Paire walked back onto the court and finished the remainder of the match by losing the next two points with the same lethargic energy. Schwartzman took the third set in just 16 minutes.

To no surprise, the world No. 46 expressed his contempt for not only Lahyani, but also the Court 2 crowd in his post-match presser.

"I do not care about the people. I play for me and that is it. I do not play for people," Paire said.

Schwartzman hedged when asked about the incident in his own press conference.

"I think in the first few games [of the third set], I played great. At the end, the last two games, he was not very focused and it was difficult for him, but when we resumed today, it was more difficult because I played great. I think at two sets and 4-0 up, it can be difficult for the player who is down."

Paire's last win was back at the Mutua Madrid Open, an ATP 1000 event, in May, when he defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round. Overall he holds a 2-17 record in 2021.