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The prime real estate sat empty. The seats in the sun went unoccupied. Sweat and sunburns are for stars; not strangers.
Chris Eubanks entered last year’s U.S. Open ranked No. 147 in the world. Fans had far superior American options (Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul, Maxime Cressy, Jenson Brooksby, John Isner, Sebastian Korda, Marcos Giron) to pin their hopes to.
The 6-foot-7 Atlanta native Eubanks needed to win three qualifying matches to make the main draw, before claiming his first-ever grand slam victory and landing at Louis Armstrong Stadium for his second round match against 11th-seeded Jannik Sinner.
“Nobody had any idea who he was,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, Eubanks’ former colleague at Tennis Channel. “There was nobody there. Me and his family, that was his cheering section. That’s all.”
At this year’s Open, the long-anonymous journeyman is now a fan favorite, following Eubanks’ stunning quarterfinal run at Wimbledon. The 27-year-old who was planning for his post-tennis career as recently as last year enters this year’s field as a seeded player (28) for the first time at a grand slam event.
“I’m picturing him getting put on [Arthur] Ashe [Stadium] for the night session because people are gonna be so psyched to see him,” Simmelkjaer said. “His world has blown up. This is always the hard part, managing when you go from obscurity to stardom overnight.”
Last week, Eubanks made the rounds on the national morning shows. He spent Tuesday night on Broadway, watching “Hamilton” from the orchestra pit and meeting Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Eubanks, the son of a Baptist minister and unofficial “mayor” of the locker room, carries a reputation as one of the most humble and affable players on Tour.
Even if he hasn’t changed, the world has.
“It’s been a completely different reality for me,” Eubanks said on “Good Morning America.” “I’m getting noticed a bit more now, going through the airport or going to restaurants. I’m trying to proceed with life like I’ve always done it, but people are just recognizing me a little bit more.
“Something’s telling me this is gonna be a little bit different than any other U.S. Open I’ve been a part of.”
Two years ago, Eubanks was bounced from the first round at Flushing Meadows, leaving him winless in five career grand slam matches. On another 10 occasions, he’d failed to make the main draw of a major.
The former Georgia Tech star, who turned pro in 2017, had spent the majority of his career on the second-tier Challenger Tour, playing to small crowds for small paychecks. In 2020, he ended the year ranked No. 233.
“There were definitely some low moments,” Eubanks said during his Wimbledon run. “I think that part of the reason I even got into [TV] commentary was because I had a real sit down with my agent in 2021 and I said, ‘Listen, if I’m still 200 by next year and injuries haven’t played a part, I can do something else with my time.’ It’s not that glamorous if you’re ranked around 200.”
Eubanks, who served as a body double for Arthur Ashe in a documentary about the tennis icon, joined Tennis Channel as an in-studio analyst and a broadcaster during live events, including tournaments he was still participating in.
“He put a lot of work into it,” said Simmelkjaer, the former host of ‘TC Live’. “He took it very seriously and he wanted to make the most of the opportunity. He made an incredible impression.
“I remember the first day: I said to him, like, ‘Why are you here? Why aren’t you out there practicing?’ … Doing the TV work gave him a perspective on tennis he didn’t have before. He got a better understanding of match strategy, how to approach points, watching how the best players in the world do it. It’s like he stepped outside his body for a little while.”
Eubanks, whose older brother, Mark, and cousin, Trey, both played Division I college tennis, first took the court in a stroller, watching his father — his first coach — and brother hit on public courts in Atlanta.
At 3, Eubanks hit with both hands from both sides; unable to lift the racket otherwise. At 12, he began attending sessions at the nearby South Fulton Tennis Centre, which was run by Donald Young Sr., the father of the world’s top-ranked junior player. At 15, he began traveling the world as Young’s hitting partner.
“It was huge, because it allowed me to practice with a player who was top 50 at the time, which not many 15- and 16-year-olds could do every single day,” Eubanks said last month in England. “It also allowed me to see that me playing professional tennis was a real possibility because I felt like, as a kid, if you don’t know any professional tennis players, you don’t have access to any professional tennis players, it’s kind of hard to believe that you can be a professional tennis player, and he gave me that access.”
Eubanks traveled with Young for parts of five years, largely eschewing junior tournaments in favor of daily mentoring from one of the best players in the country. Sans a strong ranking, Eubanks went unnoticed by most college coaches in the country.
Georgia Tech coach Kenny Thorne only learned of the lanky, hard-serving local because of a recommendation from Young. Instead of scouting a top national recruit in Florida, then-assistant coach Derek Schwandt was diverted to watch Eubanks play in Alabama.
“If Donald’s saying he’s gonna be good, you’re gonna listen,” Thorne said. “[Chris] was used to pro pace, which is very important. His level didn’t have to go up. He just had to be more consistent. The points he was winning were at a professional level. My assistant sent me a couple videos of Chris hitting serves and the balls almost bounced through the fence. He had something special, something a little bit different.
“Chris was getting ready to go to the biggest national tournament in Kalamazoo (Mich.). It’s where all the greats played. If Chris put it together there, every coach in the nation would be looking at him, so we gave him an offer.”
By his sophomore year, Eubanks was an All-American, who believed he still might need to earn a business degree. After another All-American season as a junior, Eubanks turned pro.
“He had to find his identity,” Thorne said. “He needed to understand he was gonna be one of the biggest servers in the world. Let’s not worry about double faulting and let’s go after first and second serves.
“The guys who are taller, it takes them a little longer to grow into their bodies, grow into their games. They peak a little later.”
Eubanks finally began his ascent last year, when he invested in a full-time coach and started a stricter training regimen. He ended 2022 ranked No. 123 in the world, then won his second grand slam match at the Australian Open.
In March, Eubanks achieved his career-long quest to join the world’s top 100 players, shedding tears after the momentous win at a tournament in Miami. Then, he earned his first career ATP title in Mallorca, Spain, excelling on his worst playing surface (grass).
In four trips to Wimbledon, Eubanks had never reached the main draw. This year, he stole the spotlight at the world’s most prestigious event, knocking off No. 12 Cam Norrie, of Great Britain, in the second round, and winning a five-set battle against No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round.
Eubanks’ 85 aces were the second-most ever recorded in Wimbledon’s first four rounds.
“I feel like I’m living a dream right now,” Eubanks said after defeating Tsitsipas. “It’s something that you dream of as a kid growing up, watching Wimbledon on TV, saying, ‘Man, I hope to be there one day.’”
After becoming the first American man since 1984 to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in his main draw debut, Eubanks dropped a tiebreaker that would have sent him to the semifinals and fell in five sets to No. 3 Daniil Medvedev.
Eubanks returned home with $430,000 for less than two weeks’ work, surpassing his earnings in any year of his career. He returned with newfound swagger and status. He returned to play in his hometown Atlanta Open, giving him time to visit his old college campus.
There, his old coach found a player who looked like he’d never left.
“He was here stringing his own rackets, and he’s like, ‘This is what I’ve always done,’” Thorne said. “He’s done a great job trying to keep everything as normal as possible. He’s a very special person.
“Everyone’s calling it a run, but soon it’s gonna be like, ‘No, this is who you are. You’re this good.’”