Chris Eubanks created a name for himself at Wimbledon, starting the event ranked 77th in the world and reaching the quarterfinals before being knocked out by Russian Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller.
It was Eubanks’ first appearance at Wimbledon. On Thursday, the 27-year-old Atlanta, Georgia, native, discusses his exciting debut at the British competition.
“It’s been a surreal, whirlwind, eye-opening experience.” “It’s difficult to describe and put into words,” Eubanks remarked.
When asked if he realized how much his performance at Wimbledon meant to supporters back home, Eubanks stated he didn’t “just yet.”
“The coolest thing about it is that when I checked my ESPN alerts from the past week, a lot of times my name was on it, so that was a pretty surreal feeling, something I never really thought I would experience,” he added.
Eubanks from London, where the event is being placed, that he is thrilled to return to the United States and see how his world has changed since his breakthrough performance at Wimbledon.
During his encounter with Medvedev on Wednesday, he led for a bit until the Russian player drew ahead. Eubanks stated that he “felt great” coming into the match, as he did in prior Wimbledon battles.
“I got into a nice little rhythm for the second, third, and most of the fourth set.” “I was probably playing some of the best tennis I’d ever played in my life,” he remarked. Eubanks stated that he tried to “collect himself” in between matches.
“I noticed the mistakes I made in the first set. I realized that I could play a lot better, and it’s just that when those set finishes, whether you lose six or seven, six, it’s still only one set, and you can come out to the second set and just try to put your best foot forward.
“That first set is done at the end of the day,” Eubanks added. “In tennis, because we have a little bit more time, and we can, unlike other sports, lose more points and still win the match as long as you win the right points at the right time.”
According to Eubanks, Medvedev “just outplayed” him in the end. Eubanks did, however, leave with a record: he smashed 321 “winners,” which occur when a player is unable to touch the ball with their racquet before it bounces twice during a match. The previous record was set in 1992 by tennis legend Andre Agassi.
Eubanks is also heading home with a bigger bank account: he received a $430,000 payday, which he quipped “sounds good until you get taxed.”
Since many professional tennis players “don’t really have guaranteed income,” Eubanks noted, the prize money “serves as added motivation” and offers “that added level of security.”
“Knowing that, okay, my necessities are going to be met for the next little while, my team is going to be paid for the next little while, and now I can just kind of play free,” Eubanks said, “provides that level of security.”
“And I believe that’s significant. When I am playing for free, I sometimes play my best tennis.
