Chris Eubanks faltered at the US Open 2023 against most expectations in front of his home fans. Eubanks crashed out in the second round of the men’s singles tournament while not going past the first round of the men’s doubles event either. But all wasn’t gloomy for the 27-year-old in NYC as fans witnessed him across the globe in a new avatar.
In what can be considered a first in the history of Grand Slam tennis, Eubanks was offered an opportunity to hold the mic as a broadcaster. He was first seen interviewing women’s singles finalist and fellow American, Coco Gauff and fans loved their camaraderie on air. However, unlike Gauff, most players will not go on to be surprised seeing Eubanks in this avatar in the future.
Eubanks as commentator impresses tennis fans
It would have been safe to assume that Chris Eubanks would have been devastated at such an early end to his US Open campaign. But little did many know that Eubanks was being pursued before the start of the tournament by the official broadcasters in the United States, ESPN. His historic run at Wimbledon 2023 in which he made it to the quarterfinals made him grab the limelight.
Additionally, Chris Eubanks has been seen analyzing and commenting on matches for the Tennis Channel like a professional during his free time. He had agreed to a deal with ESPN but little did he know that it got finalized just after his exit from the tournament as a player. So the following day, he was in the broadcasters’ box, taking part in panel discussions, interviews and doing post-match commentary for a start.
In an interview with Forbes, Chris Eubanks revealed that his desire to commentate for ESPN was altruistic, for the pure joy of it rather than the money offered to him. The American tennis sensation claims that until the last year, media was not an option in his mind as an alternate or future career choice. But now, seeing the positive response of fans worldwide and how much this avatar has helped him improved his game, Eubanks believes he has taken the right call for himself.
Chris Eubanks was quoted as saying –
“We didn’t even really discuss what the pay would be in the beginning; it was just the fact that ESPN was going to give me the opportunity to be on their platform. And I was just like, whatever it is, I’ll take it.
“The responses have been more than I could have even imagined—so many people have reached out and said they enjoy hearing my commentary, that they liked seeing me on TV.”
Interestingly, Chris Eubanks did not mention how much ESPN paid him for this project agreement. And the broadcaster has not agreed for any another deal with him after the US Open 2023. This could well mean that Eubanks may not have earned as much as his other ‘new’ colleagues.
That number could also be potentially determined by the amount of losses ESPN has faced at this year’s US Open due to the ongoing conflict between parent company Disney and cable TV giants, Charter Communications’ Spectrum Service.
Chris Eubanks net worth likely to have gone up by $300,000 in US Open series
Chris Eubanks has not had the North American swing he was expecting for himself, but the commentary deal might have helped shoot up his net worth by $300,000. Until the Wimbledon 2023 Championships, Chris Eubanks was believed to be worth $2 million approximately, as per multiple media reports. Largely, Eubanks’ wealth so far has been dictated by his prize money winnings and endorsements.
In the US Open series, Chris Eubanks earned a total of $272,595 in prize money. As a result, if Eubanks’ $436,000 Wimbledon prize money is added to it, then it is likely that the estimated Chris Eubanks net worth figure at the moment would be between $2.7-2.8 million. Having discovered a new talent might have just ensured that Eubanks will make many more millions even if or when he retires from playing professional tennis.
