Chris Eubanks has reflected on his breakthrough 2023 campaign on the ATP tour and concluded that it was a season “for the books”. And the Wimbledon quarterfinalists need look no further than US Open champion Coco Gauff for acknowledgement of his achievements.
The 6ft 7″ American started the year outside the top 100 but eventually worked his way into the top 50 after clinching his maiden title at the Mallorca Championships on clay with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over France’s Adrian Mannarino.
Eubanks then headed straight to London for the Wimbledon Championships and defeated Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie and fifth seed Stefanos Tsitispas to reach the final eight, where he was eventually defeated by tournament runner-up Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller.
The 27-year-old’s unexpected heorics moved him up to a career-best ranking of world No. 29 and have earned him around ยฃ1.1 million in prize money across the year.
Posting a photo of himself celebrating in the middle of the court at SW19, Eubanks wrote on Instagram: “2023 was certainly a season for the books.”
Women’s world No. 3 Gauff replied: “Not bad. Not bad at all,” after declaring that she was a “Giraffe fan 4 life”.
The US Open champion was spotted watching her friend in the stands at Wimbledon and is known to support him on tour. Eubanks is known in tennis circles as the ‘Giraffe’ due to his towering height.
Whilst competing at the All England Club, Eubanks revealed how Gauff and Naomi Osaka had both helped to make him a better player.
As per Tennis World, Eubanks said: “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.
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“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. That’s something Coco has been telling me for a long time.
“Naomi even says the same thing. It does rub off on you. When they talk about their goals or what they feel when they go on court, I feel a little bit like the odd man out because I’m like, You guys are mentally different than I am. You guys are so much more, like, locked in and confident when you step on the court.
“I think it’s slowly starting to rub off on me where when I step foot on the court, Hey, I can play at this level, I belong at this level. I just have to go out there and actually believe it. Be okay with giving it everything I have. Whatever the result is it is.”
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