Chris Eubanks, unlikely Wimbledon star, on "surreal, whirlwind" tournament experience
Chris Eubanks made a name for himself at Wimbledon, entering the tournament as the 77th-ranked player in the world and reaching the quarterfinals, where he was knocked out by Russian Daniil Medvedev after a rollercoaster five-set match.
This was Eubanks' first time playing at Wimbledon. The 27-year-old Atlanta, Georgia, native joined "CBS Mornings" on Thursday to discuss his eventful appearance at the British tournament.
"This has been a very surreal, whirlwind, eye-opening experience. It's tough to really describe and put into words," Eubanks said.
When asked if he understood the magnitude of how much his showing at Wimbledon has meant to fans at home, Eubanks said he didn't think he did "just yet."
"The coolest thing about it is when I check my ESPN alerts from the past week, a lot of times my name was on it, so that was a pretty surreal feeling, something I never really thought I would experience," he said.
Speaking to "CBS Mornings" from London, where the tournament is held, Eubanks said he is excited to return to the United States and see how his world has changed since his star showing at Wimbledon. During Wednesday's match with Medvedev, he lead for a while before the Russian player pulled ahead. Eubanks said he "felt great" going into the match, as he had with previous matches during Wimbledon.
"I caught a nice little rhythm for that second, third and a good bit of that fourth set. I was playing some of the best tennis I probably have ever played in my life," he said. Eubanks said he tried to "collect himself" between the matches.
"I saw the errors that I made in the first set. I saw that I could play a lot better and it's just when that set ends, it doesn't matter if you lose six or you lose seven, six, it's still only one set, you can come out to the second set and just try to put your best foot forward. At the end of the day, that first set is done," Eubanks said. "In tennis, because we have a little bit more time, and we can, unlike other sports, we can lose more points and still win the match as long as you win the right points at the right time."
Ultimately, Medvedev "just outplayed" him, Eubanks said. He did walk away having set a record, though: Eubanks hit 321 "winners," which occur when a player is unable to touch the ball with their racquet before it bounces twice during a match. The previous record was set in 1992 by tennis great Andre Agassi, CBS Sports reported.
Eubanks is also going home with a fuller bank account: He took home a $430,000 paycheck, although he joked that the amount "sounds good until you get taxed."
The prize money "serves as added motivation," and provides "that added level of security," because many professional tennis players "don't really have guaranteed income," Eubanks said.
"It provides that level of security to know that, okay, my necessities are going to be met for the next little while, my team will be paid for the next little while, and now I can just kind of play free," Eubanks said. "And I think that's something. I play some of my best tennis when I am playing free."
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Kerry Breen is a news editor and reporter for CBS News. Her reporting focuses on current events, breaking news and substance use.