Atlanta, Wimbledon, Top 30: Everything you always wanted to know about Christopher Eubanks (but never had time find out) – updated after UTS events

Chris Eubanks can be followed on Instagram and Twitter with the same avatar: @chris_eubanks96.

Who is Chris Eubanks?

Christopher Eubanks (or Chris Eubanks) is an American tennis player from Atlanta (Georgia).

The 27-year-old broke into the Top 100 in 2023, with a quarter-final run in Miami, an ATP win at Mallorca and a fourth round at Wimbledon (still in the draw). As a tall, big server, Eubanks is also well known for his knowledge and fluid words when talking about tennis. This has led him to a gig as a tennis pundit on Tennis Channel while still playing as a pro.

Eubanks is not to be confused with Christopher Livingstone Eubank, the British former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1998, or his son, who has the same first name. They are not relatives.

What did Christopher Eubanks do at Wimbledon in 2023?

Christopher Eubanks reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2023, losing to Daniil Medvedev. He beat two seeds en route to the last eight – fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and 12th seed Cameron Norrie.

How old is Christopher Eubanks?

Eubanks was born on May 5, 1996, in Atlanta, making him 27 years old when his Grand Slam career took off at Wimbledon in 2023.

How tall is Chris Eubanks?

Eubanks is 6 ft 7 in, or 2m 1 cm tall (as per the ATP site). With such a stature, the American is one of the tallest men on the ATP Tour right now.

What is Chris Eubanks’ ATP ranking?

Chris Eubanks’ best ranking to date is No 29, a spot he reached thanks to his run to the fourth round of Wimbledon.

In Miami in 2023, Eubanks had cried in front of journalists in Miami when he cracked the Top 100 for the first time after a long navigation between the 100th and the 250th positions in the world rankings.

“Your career really changes going from 110 to 85,” Eubanks said in London in July 2023.

“You can argue that it does change as well going from 85 to 50. But when you spent four or five years hovering between 150 and 200 and 220, that jump from 110 to 85 meant so, so, so much to me because that’s what I have been wanting and striving for for so long.”

“Now it’s just everything is just sweet now. Everything just continues. It’s like the icing on the cake. Oh, I looked up and I have done a pretty good job even since Miami not even checking the rankings. I knew once I got into top 100 where I had a little bit of cushion, I wasn’t like 97, 98, where I knew I could fall out and maybe potentially not be in Grand Slams anymore, main draw.”

“I think after Miami I ended it somewhere around 80-something. Then I honestly haven’t checked it that much. The only way I know where my ranking lies is usually people tell me or I check Twitter, and they say, Live ranking is this. I’m like, That’s pretty cool. Trying to get to that 110 to top 100, I was checking the rankings like crazy. Now I’m just kind of enjoying it and having fun.”

In a recent video released by UTS, Eubanks says he genuinely believes he can be a Top 20 player.

What is Chris Eubanks’ nickname in UTS?

Eubanks has played UTS just once, in Frankfurt in 2023, and was called “The Rocket”, thanks to the power of his serve.

What is Chris Eubanks’ playing style?

Chris Eubank’s best shot is his serve, due to his height and the speed of his first ball. On a good day, the American can win games with four aces on quick courts. He is an aggressive player, going to the net when he can as well.

Astonishingly for an American player of his generation, he was not influenced by Pete Sampras – in fact, Eubanks has a one-handed backhand since he was 13 years old.

However, Eubanks has previously stated that he would change his one-handed backhand for a two-handed shot if he could turn back the clock.

“If I could do it all over again, I might go with a two-hander, just because I spent so many years fighting off balls above my shoulder, realising how difficult it was,” said Eubanks. “I think the two-handed backhand is just a lot more functional but it’s a little tough to go back now.”

“When I look at ones like Roger (Federer), Stan (Wawrinka), or (Richard) Gasquet, there is a certain elegance and a flair that’s to it when you come up with a good winner off a one-handed backhand side that you may not get really off the two-hand. I’m not really trying to be pretty. I’m just trying to be functional. If I need to come up with a backhand pass, I need to make the backhand pass.”

What is Eubanks’ ultimate goal in tennis?

Considered a late bloomer, Eubanks has not often opened up on his aspirations apart from being a pro.

In the talk show All on the Table released by UTS recently, however, he said he would be thrilled to make the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament some day, mentioning the US Open or Wimbledon.

As Eubanks said at Wimbledon in 2023: “If I continue to put in the work and work as hard as I have been working, wherever my career ends up is going to be where it ends up. It’s not like if I don’t hit 20, I’d consider it like I didn’t do what I set out to do or a failure. It’s just like, hey, I gave it everything I had. I didn’t get to 20 or I didn’t get to 10, or I didn’t get wherever. It’s just like that’s not really my focus.”

Who was Eubanks’ inspiration in tennis?

Eubanks was first coached by his father.

“I was extremely, extremely fortunate to grow up in the city that I did at the time that I did, because there was so many players from the city, not too far from my house, that kind of went through the trials and tribulations before me and kind of really helped me out,” Eubanks said.

A name Eubanks has regularly mentioned as one of his inspirations in tennis is Jarmere Jenkins, Serena William’s long-time hitting partner. Jenkins was the first tennis player Eubanks ever looked up to, with the 27-year-old admiring him since he was “eight or nine years old.”

Donald Young, national coach at USTA, is also an inspiration to Eubanks, referring to him as someone “who has been like a big brother since I was like 15.” All of those Eubanks’ inspirations were people he grew up with, or lived close by to.

In other interviews, he also mentioned Frances Tiafoe, James Blake, Ben and his father Brian Shelton and Serena Williams as inspirations. Eubanks is also close friends with WTA player Coco Gauff.

What is Chris Eubanks’ best surface?

Like most American players, Eubanks grew up on hard courts and making this the surface he’s most comfortable and adept at winning.

His game style, aggressive, with a strong serve, made him easy to adapt to grass courts.

“I think it’s slowly, slowly growing on me,” Eubanks told reports during Wimbledon 2023. “But at this point I think borderline I might say it’s my favorite surface.”

Clay, on the other hand, is Eubanks’ least favourite surface.

What are Christopher Eubanks’ best performances in tennis?

Trophy-wise, Eubanks won one ATP title in 2023 on grass, in Mallorca, defeating Alex Michelsen, Ben Shelton, Arthur Rinderknech, Lloyd Harris and Adrian Mannarino.

When it comes to stand out performances, his best win ever happened at Wimbledon, in 2023, when he defeated Cameron Norrie from Britain, the 12th seed and No 13 ranked player in the world. This win came in the second round in front of a British crowd (6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6). Before this landmark, Eubanks’ best performance was defeating world No 20 Borna Coric at the Miami Masters the same year.

He went on to better that by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

A long-time University player, Eubanks played for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He was a two-time All-American and twice named ACC Player of the Year. 

Is Christopher Eubanks also a commentator?

Eubanks worked as a part-time commentator in 2023, calling matches for Tennis Channel. His commentary received rave reviews and in UTS’s All on the Table show, the American explained what he has learned from being on the other side of the camera.

“Now, when I watch NBA or NFL or whatever, I’ll know what’s going on,” he said. “Like, if the producer is talking in their ear, their cadence will be like this (up and down) and then they’ll kind of slow down it down because they need to listen, like, if they’re being told a stat that they need to use.”

Andrey Rublev said Eubanks is a natural talent and that commentary is not for everyone. “He could do a baking show,” he joked.

What impact is Eubanks having on sports diversity?

When Chris Eubanks was asked about his desire to impact diversity in sport, he had this to say: “This is tough to say. I think there have been many trailblazers before me that played an even bigger role.”

“I think there’s no secret when you see the amount of diversity, especially on the women’s side coming up post-Venus and Serena. But I think on the men’s side, we’re coming up on a really, really good time: James Blake, Washington. You’ve got Frances (Tiafoe), (Michale) Mmoh, myself, Ben Shelton, Brian Shelton obviously played a huge part.”

“Things are just kind of starting to trend in the right direction, especially for people of color. The more we can hopefully inspire little kids to say, ‘Hey, maybe I should give tennis a try.'”

Why does Chris Eubanks wear a reverse cap as a tennis player?

Those who have seen Chris Eubanks grace a tennis court will know that he’s known for wearing a backwards cap when playing. The 27-year-old explained his fashion choice recently: “In college, I have always worn a hat, but I used to wear it front, wearing it just like this.”

“At some point we might have been playing a smaller school or something, and I was like, ‘Ah, I’m gonna throw it backwards’. Once I did it so much, I tried to put it forward, and seeing the bill of the hat on my serve started to get a little bit annoying. Then I just consistently started to go backwards from then on.”

“It seems a little bit counterintuitive when the sun is right there, but at the end of the day, it’s not going to really do anything to block it either way.”

 According to Eubanks, “the look” doesn’t bother him.

Is Chris Eubanks friends with Jamie Foxx?

The American has been friends with Hollywood actor Jamie Foxx for a while now. Foxx was in the stands to watch Eubanks during his run in Miami.

“Just the fact that he came, I was like, he really, like, showed up to watch me,” said Eubanks. “He loves tennis. He talks about Jimmy Connors, he talks about Ilie Nastase. He talks about all of it.” 

What is Chris Eubanks’ net worth?

Eubanks has won more than $2.5 million in prize money, in singles and doubles combined.