What is it about Benoit Paire? Funny things always seem to happen when he’s around. He just IS funny. Whether it’s his loose as a goose demeanor or popped color or demonstrative theatrics, he just always seems to be in the middle of some kind of quandary or comedy or both.

By the Numbers: Massive Milestones and Match Points on Day 3 at Monte-Carlo

Well, today was no exception in Monte-Carlo. During his three-set loss to Feliciano Lopez, Paire had this funny interaction with a ballkid who hadn’t quite mastered the art of shielding a player from the sun with an umbrella yet.

When Paire gave the kid a friendly tip, an older, more professional kid swooped in and took charge. Not sure if it was the right move, because the little guy had it figured out and was by then doing his job, and on top of that, he seemed to be a good fit with the eclectic Paire.

Maybe the other kid was actually sent over by Lopez to jinx Paire?

Hard to say, and we’ll never know.

All we know is that when Benoit Paire is playing, something funny is happening. We’d like to see him win more, because he’s blessed with boatloads of talent, but we’ll take funny, too.