Christopher Eubanks is having a dream run at the 2023 Wimbledon, and it's finally the payoff for all of his hard work.
Eubanks has worked really hard on his tennis, and this season is finally the payoff he was looking for. The American's rise to tennis happened in his mid-twenties, after years of playing tennis on the Challenger Tour but it's proof that late bloomings in tennis do happen.
How can we forget the case of Stan Wawrinka, who is the definition of a late bloomer as his success began closer to his thirties than his early twenties. Something similar is happening to Eubanks though he would say that not all credit goes to himself. He often spoke about the advice he received from Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff as he used to practice with them back in the United States.
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.
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.
While Eubanks had his doubts, both Gauff and Osaka firmly believed in him, encouraging him to keep grinding, and eventually, things would work out. They are being proved right this year as Eubanks is looking at a potential US Open seeding spot on top of possibly breaking into the Top 30 on the ATP Tour if he keeps playing well.
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.
It took him a while to ultimately adopt that mindset as he didn't see himself on the same level as these great champions, but with time, the confidence both Gauff and Osaka have in themselves started to impact him as well.
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.
He's in the quarter-final after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas, and he'll take on Daniil Medvedev, who advanced following the retirement of Jiri Lehecka. They played earlier this year, and Medvedev won that match in two sets. Interestingly it's a maiden Wimbledon quarter-final for both players.
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