Not too long ago, Christopher Eubanks had doubts about his professional tennis career, taking a job as a commentator for Tennis Channel while he continued to pursue playing.
Now, the 27-year-old American is heading to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, upsetting world No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 3-6 7-6(4) 3-6 6-4 6-4.
Eubanks, who is from Atlanta and played college tennis at Georgia Tech, already was in the midst of the best year of his career. It keeps getting better with his Wimbledon run – and it’s coming on a surface he said he used to hate: grass.
“The grass and I, we’ve had a very strenuous, I would say, relationship over the years,” Eubanks said in a post-match interview on court. “But right now, I think it’s my best friend.”
Right before Wimbledon started, he won his first ATP Tour title, winning the grass court event in Mallorca, jumping from No. 77 in the world to a career-high No. 43. He broke into the top 100 in the singles world rankings in April.
On Saturday, Eubanks told ESPN in an interview that going straight from Mallorca to Wimbledon helped him, “not allowing to kind of sit back and take it all in just yet,” he said. “I’m going to hopefully wait until after Wimbledon to do that.”
When asked by ESPN on Saturday if he ever doubted himself, Eubanks replied, “A thousand percent. That was part of the reason I got into commentary.”
“At the US Open 2021, I said (to my agent) if I’m still ranked around 200 at the end of next year and injuries haven’t played a part, there has got to be something else I can do with my time,” Eubanks continued. “Because the Challenger circuit is not that glamorous. I felt like I would have these ups and downs throughout my career, and it was getting to be very, very frustrating.”
He then began doing commentary during the 2022 clay court season, and he credits the experience for helping his game. “It’s all been fun,” Eubanks said. “It’s been a bit of a crazy 18 months, but it’s been a blast.”
Eubanks, who will be in his first major quarterfinal, will face No. 3 Daniil Medvedev of Russia.
After his own victory in the fourth round against Jiri Lehečka, Medvedev paid tribute to Eubanks’ rise.
“Talking about Christopher, he’s a great player,” the No. 3 seed told reporters. “Miami was his first, let’s call it, breakthrough in a way. That’s where he went into the top 100, coming from [qualifiers], made quarters. His best result at the moment.
“He played great against me. It was a very tough match. I was on fire. I managed to beat him. But it was a tough one. Here, he’s on fire again. He just won his first ATP title. Here in the quarters beating Stefanos in five sets, unbelievable. I know I need to be at my 100% and absolute best physically, tennis-wise, and mentally to try to beat him.”