- Christopher Eubanks made it to the Wimbledon quarterfinals and he credits it to Naomi Osaka and fellow American player Coco Gauff
- Eubanks beat Stefanos Tsitsipas to advance to the quarterfinals
- It is his biggest feat yet in a Grand Slam match
Christopher Eubanks made it to Wimbledon quarterfinals and he credits it to Naomi Osaka and fellow American player Coco Gauff.
He says that their conversations gave him renewed hope and confidence which he carried to the court and sent Stefanos Tsitsipas home in the fourth round.
With a score of 3-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, Eubanks stunned fifth seed Tsitsipas at the Wimbledon Championships fourth round on Monday.
Eubanks, the son of an American Baptist minister took advantage of the Greek’s double fault in the ninth game of the fourth set. He earned a critical break despite failing to generate any break-point opportunities in the previous three games.
In the final set, the 27-year-old American tennis player converted two break points by unleashing booming down-the-line backhand winners, securing the victory.
Chris Eubanks at Wimbledon. Photo/CNN
This booked him a match in the last eight, among them Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
Looking back, he attributes this success to Osaka and Gauff who instilled in him the value of confidence on a tennis court.
Eubanks was a troubled soul about his ability to win a match at Wimbledon but he got the right dose for it all.
“I think the biggest thing, it’s a common theme amongst both of them, they’ve been saying for a long time that they feel like I belong at this level. For a long time I questioned, again, whether or not I was consistent enough to play at this level really consistently,” he said.
Gauff and Osaka pushed him to adopt an entirely different mindset and he is now aware that victory starts in thoughts.
“That’s something Coco has been telling me for a long time. Naomi even says the same thing. That’s kind of been the main thing of just reinforcing and instilling confidence. Hey, you can play at this level, you just got 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,” he further notes.
Osaka is currently out of the WTA Tour and she is months away from becoming a mother. The Japanese tennis player is pregnant with her boyfriend, rapper Cordae.
Gauff suffered a first-round defeat at Wimbledon despite putting up a superb performance.
Coco Gauff biography. Photo/ Times of India.
Eubanks is a former collegiate tennis star in the United States who is now punching above his weight after years of toiling between the world Nos. 150 and 200.
He defeated British player Cameron Norrie last week on Friday and he also edged out Christopher O’Connell in a 7-6, 7-6, 7-6, match earning him so much praise.
His victory over Tsitsipas comes just 10 days ago after the American won his first-ever ATP title in Mallorca which booked him a slot at the top 50.
His first victory at the ATP Tour in Mallorca earned him $153,000 which bumped his wealth portfolio reportedly at $2 million.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login