Chris Eubanks became a household name across the globe overnight courtesy of his spectacular run at the Wimbledon 2023 Championships. The American made it to the quarterfinals of the men’s singles event and nearly entered the last four, losing in a five-set thriller to Daniil Medvedev. Along the way, he beat the likes of UK’s Cam Norrie in the second round and more famously, World No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in a 5-set match in the Round of 16.
Having an impressive second half of 2023 so far in which he also won his grass-court title in Mallorca, Eubanks is widely being talked up as one of the talents to watch out for on the ATP Tour by enthusiasts and pundits alike. One of those individuals is James Blake, who at one point in his career, was himself the top-ranked American men’s singles player in the world, rising out of literal oblivion. Eubanks has worked with total dedication to finally get what he deserves and seeing the fun element in his game, has made Blake compare him with Pete Sampras and Marat Safin.
Is Chris Eubanks genuinely like Pete Sampras and Marat Safin?
James Blake believes that back in their day, Sampras and Safin endeared themselves to fans especially in the United States due to just being themselves. While Sampras had a solid work ethic and focus, Safin wore his heart on his sleeve and had a free-spirited style of play. Interestingly, both have been US Open champions.
When it comes to Blake himself, the American was widely considered to be that player from the country who would take over the great Andy Roddick in the 2000s. Roddick had won the US Open 2003 amongst his 32 men’s singles titles and had made it to several Grand Slam, Davis Cup and Masters finals. That had catapulted him to the World No.1 ranking at one point of time.
On the other hand, Blake came mostly second to Roddick. He made it to the 2005 and 2006 US Open quarterfinals and had won 10 men’s singles titles, beating the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal atleast once. Having to deal with the pressure of being a major American hope due to the legacy of players prior to him, Blake understands what Eubanks needs to succeed and maintain his run.
Blake had won many fans due to his performances at the US Open. He was quoted as saying to Sky Sports in an interview recently –
“I’ve always thought that being yourself on the court really endears you to fans. Whether that’s Pete Sampras, very inward and very focused and that’s it, or you’re having fun or Marat Safin who’s breaking rackets, Eubanks is genuinely like that and I think that shines through to the fans where he’s having fun out there and they see that. They want to have fun because he’s playing a game and they’re watching a game and they’re there to be entertained, and he’s just having a great time.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s got the work ethic, he’s doing everything he can, but he’s also having a good time while he’s doing it and I think that’s going to shine through and I think fans are going to really appreciate that and it’s a reason they’re going to gravitate to him even more.
“He’s going to be one of the stars at the US Open. He might be on the side of a bus, he might be up on billboards and for him a year ago to be playing Challengers in Korea and just toiling away, trying to get points to be in the top 100, to be a star in New York, and New York goes crazy for two weeks for the US Open. For him to be one of those stars is going to be hopefully a life-changing experience for him, in a positive way.”
Will Eubanks be seeded at US Open 2023?
Chris Eubanks is currently ranked 29th in the world in the men’s singles category. He recently made it to the Round of 16 of the Mubadala Citi Open in Washington D.C, only to lose to Australia’s Jordan Thompson in straight sets.
Eubanks’ next assignment is the Toronto Masters where he will take on another entertainer on the ATP Tour and the veteran Frenchman, Gael Monfils in the first round. The 27-year-old American made it to the tournament due to Novak Djokovic opting out of the same.
It is likely that Eubanks will be directly seeded for the first time in his home Grand Slam, the US Open as he had to qualify for it last year. He needs to make it at least to the Round of 16 in both Toronto and Cincinnati as well to increase his chances for the same.
