Get to know U.S. tennis star Christopher Eubanks ahead of Paris 2024

Christopher Eubanks’ professional career

Eubanks’ rise to notoriety on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) circuit took persistence, finally breaking into the top 100 of the world rankings in 2023, six years after his professional debut. In fact, from 2017 to 2022, he won nine of his 21 matches. During this stretch, he recalls feeling the weight of expectation.

“For about four or five years, I did feel pressure on myself. I felt like I wasn’t achieving what I thought I would and I felt like I was putting a lot of added pressure on myself,” Eubanks said in an interview with CBS Mornings. “Probably over these past 12 months, I’ve just kind of embraced a more process [oriented] mindset.”

This shift in mentality led to a prosperous 2023, when Eubanks began to take off. He won 21 of the 41 matches he appeared in, including winning his first ATP title and making his first deep Major tournament run. In March 2023, he won a career-best four consecutive matches to reach the quarterfinals of the 2023 Miami Open before losing to fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev. Later that year, Eubanks qualified for the 2023 Mallorca Championship, upsetting third seed Ben Shelton on his path to his first ATP title.

Eubanks followed this up with his Wimbledon debut, winning four matches including knocking out fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, to reach the first Major quarterfinal of his career before losing to Medvedev in five sets. Despite coming up just short, this was a major development for his career as he flew up the ATP rankings and gained more widespread recognition for his talents.

“For a long time, I questioned whether or not I was consistent enough to play at this level really consistently. I knew I could come out on any match and maybe light it up, could cause some guys some trouble, I don’t know if I really believed I could put it together match after match after match against quality opponents,” said Eubanks in his post-match press conference after defeating Tsitsipas.

He also explained that his friendships with Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff have been pivotal in helping him build his confidence on the court. Eubanks has known Gauff since she was an aspiring youth tennis player and their friendship has continued to blossom over the years.

“They’ve been saying for a long time that they feel like I belong at his level,” he said. “That’s kind of been the main thing of just reinforcing and instilling confidence, ‘Hey, you can play at this level, you just have to believe it!’ When I’m around them, to hear them talk about their belief, it’s a bit infectious. It does rub off on you.”

Eubanks is currently ranked No. 44 in the world and he reached his career-high ranking of No. 29 in July 2023.