Inside The Rise Of Locker Room Favourite Christopher Eubanks
Christopher Eubanks is ready to make his Wimbledon main draw debut on Tuesday. Three months ago on a rainy evening in Miami, he was overwhelmed. After a rain delay of nearly two hours, the American had just defeated Gregoire Barrere to reach his maiden fourth round at an ATP Masters 1000 event. More importantly, it guaranteed he would crack the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
When he spoke to reporters shortly after the match, Eubanks struggled to hold back tears. It was as if a weight had lifted off his shoulders because of how important the milestone was to him. It was telling how many people were excited for him that night, too. Fans and players alike shared their congratulations on social media. Eubanks, who has an infectious smile to complement his booming serve and forehand, also has a gravitational force that draws people in.
Friend and WTA star Coco Gauff FaceTimed him the moment he returned to the bowels of Hard Rock Stadium after his win over Barrere. Throughout the week celebrities came out to cheer for him, too. Former NFL star Chad Johnson waited out rain delays to watch Eubanks’ fourth-round victory. Members of the Tennis Channel team got drenched by the pouring rain hours after their show had ended to be there for their colleague, who has greatly enjoyed working as a broadcaster when time has allowed. Actor Jamie Foxx, who has become a mentor to Eubanks, was in the stands for the quarter-finals.
It was Eubanks’ moment, but so many people were happy for him and eager to lend their support.
“Everyone would tell you that from the moment they meet Chris, he's a very genuine guy,” said fellow Atlanta-native and former Top 200 player Kevin King, who was a volunteer assistant coach at Georgia Tech, where Eubanks competed for three years. “I think that's why so many people like him. You're not going to find anyone out there that has a bad thing to say about Chris. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. He's very genuine. He gets along with everyone.”
For a long time, Eubanks has been known in the tennis community as one of the nicest guys on Tour. Sometimes, that has overshadowed his performance on the court. Not anymore.
On Saturday, Eubanks defeated Adrian Mannarino 6-1, 6-4 to win in Mallorca to claim his first ATP Tour title and break into the world’s Top 50. Instead of basking in the spotlight by himself, Eubanks rattled off the names of several people who had helped him to the moment, including coach Ruan Roelofse, King and Georgia Tech Head Coach Kenny Thorne.
“He genuinely does celebrate other people,” Thorne said. “They feel that and when that happens, and he has his own success, after you're really putting in a lot of work, then it's really easy to celebrate him.”
Eubanks celebrates his first ATP Tour title. Photo: Mallorca Championships
According to Thorne, Eubanks showed as much passion for helping others in the community during his time at Georgia Tech as he did his matches. No matter what task was put in front of him, the American attacked it with passion.
“I remember he was playing in the Atlanta Open one year. We had done something and one of the community service events, and he met a young boy, and I think the boy asked him to come hit or do something,” Thorne recalled. “And he just showed up, it was like the next day, and I think [Chris] had to play that night or play the next day. And he's out around Atlanta, kind of fulfilling this boy's dream, which was incredible.
“But all the other players are somewhat wisely staying in and getting rest and making sure they're ready to play but also he's unique. It energises him, he wants to give back. And he was raised that way.”
Thorne credits Eubanks’ father Mark, a Baptist minister, and mother, Carla, for instilling certain values in their son.
“I think that's probably the biggest, all-encompassing theme of how I try to go about life, is just treating others the way you want to be treated,” Eubanks said. “And oftentimes I find that in sport, we find stories of great athletes who are just killer competitors, who are, killer mindset all the time. And [at] times in sport, it's good. But for me that mindset going off of the court doesn't really mesh well with my personality.
“I think you can draw the line between saying, I can be a nice person, and a good person off the court, and also still want to win and still be competitive. And you don't have to let those two kind of overlap.”
If Eubanks is in the mood to laugh or joke, he’s going to do that. If an important match is coming up, he will do his best to be ready. But that does not prevent him from having fun and showing the world he is doing so, as long as he is giving his best effort on the court.
It is fitting that one of Eubanks’ idols was Arthur Ashe, a player who despite winning Wimbledon and the US Open, became known for his impact off the court. Eubanks, who acted as a double for Ashe in the documentary Citizen Ashe, learned from his legacy the importance of education and philanthropy.
“Education, philanthropy, so many things off the court, and we can rave about how great of a player he was. But the impact that he had on people outside of the court, I think is one of the biggest things to stick with me, because we still talk about him to this day,” Eubanks said. “The largest tennis stadium in the world is named after him. And it's not just because he was a great tennis player. It's because of the things that he did outside the court, which made him such an icon.”
Tennis has been a major part of Eubanks’ life as long as he can remember. His father would play tennis with Chris’ older brother, Mark, so he would tag along. “I've always been on the tennis court swinging a racquet. And I don't really know life without playing tennis,” Eubanks said.
From the age of 15, instead of focusing on junior tournaments, Eubanks became a training partner for former World No. 38 Donald Young.
“I traveled all over the world with him. And for me, that was huge, because it allowed me to practice with a player who was Top 50 at the time, which not many 15 and 16 year olds could do every single day,” Eubanks said. “I think it also allowed me to see that me playing professional tennis was a real possibility because I felt like as a kid, if you don't know any professional tennis players, you don't have access to any professional tennis players, it's kind of hard to believe that you can be a professional tennis player and he gave me that access.”
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Eubanks attended Georgia Tech, where he was a two-time All-American. After turning pro in 2017, following three years in college, things did not always go his way. In April 2018 he cracked the Top 200 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and in March 2019 the Top 150, but the Top 100 proved a white whale. Eubanks admitted it was sometimes tough to watch his peers excel.
“I definitely think there was some jealousy in a healthy or unhealthy way, depending on how you want to look at it. And for some reason, I think over the past couple of years, I just said, ‘Why?’” Eubanks said. “Other people's shine doesn't necessarily take away from me, I can still be happy for other people, and then just accept the fact that everybody's time is going to be their time, it's going to be their own moment whenever it happens. So me sitting there, kind of being upset that somebody achieved a milestone before I did, or somebody got their first Grand Slam win before I did, it does me no good. So why am I feeling like that?”
Now it is Eubanks’ moment in the sun, which is not surprising to those around him. King remembers watching Eubanks at Georgia Tech for the first time.
“It was pretty obvious he had a lot of talent and he really loved the game. I think his personality and love for the game is what really showed the most, which was pretty cool to see,” King said. “And I think that's really what has helped him get to where he is today, is kind of that passion and love for the game.”
At his roots, Eubanks is still the boy who tagged along with his father and brother to the tennis courts and grew to obsess over the sport, spending countless hours watching old YouTube videos of top players. Now as he competes in the main draw of the most famous tournament in the world for the first time, it is Eubanks’ game people are watching.
“He celebrates people when they're having their successes really well. That's not real common on the tour,” Thorne said. “And so I think, this year, it's really been nice to celebrate him.”