One of the game's nice guys appears to have called time on his playing career at 29 and his next chapter has us excited
Since Black Spin Global’s inception in 2019 the likes of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Serena Williams and Gaël Monfils have announced their retirements – or plans to retire in the case of Monfils. The Frenchman, who turns 40 next September, confirmed that 2026 will be his last season as a professional.
Tsonga bowed out at the French Open in 2022 at the age of 37. When Serena “evolved” away from the sport at the US Open that same year. The 23-time Grand Slam champion was also 40.
Last month, a player we’re lucky enough to call a “friend of the platform” seemed to announce his retirement. Christopher Eubanks, 29, dropped the news on Instagram:
“If you had told this little boy from the Southside of Atlanta that he would’ve accomplished all that he did, he wouldn’t believe you. 2 Time ACC Player of the Year? Yeah right.
“Wimbledon Quarter-finalist? No chance. An Olympian? Unfathomable. I was given the opportunity to travel around the world and form incredible relationships all while fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing professional tennis. I can’t put into words how blessed I have been.
“Is this absolutely the end?! Tough to say for certain but if it is, WHOOPTY DOO!!! It’s been an incredible ride.”
Eubanks, who doesn’t turn 30 until next May, has called time on his playing career and what a time he had on the tour after going professional in 2017.
Having spent a large part of his career on the Challenger circuit, where he collected seven singles titles, everything seemed to click for the American in 2023. He cracked the top 100 for the first time, won his maiden ATP Tour title in Mallorca and immediately followed that up with a quarter-final run at Wimbledon.
A whirlwind year saw Eubanks reach a career-high ranking of No 29. Proper fairy-tale stuff for the 6ft 7in Atlanta native who also represented the United States at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Casual tennis fans may think Eubanks’s announcement is bizarre given his age. The players referenced at the start of this piece played well into their 30s – some 40s – before hanging up their rackets for good.
Eubanks, still in his 20s, is an exceptional case, however. While he isn't completely ruling out playing again, he does have a whole career away from the court to walk straight into thanks in large part to the superb punditry and commentary work he’s been doing in tennis for the past two years with the likes of Tennis Channel, ESPN and TNT Sports. All while still a professional player on the ATP Tour.
Which brings us to our relationship with Eubanks which is personal. He’s been a guest on the podcast twice – via Zoom at the end of that whirlwind 2023 season, and in 2024 in-person in New York during the US Open. Our first interview went well over the one-hour mark, with Eubanks insisting we had him for as long as we needed. Of course we spoke about tennis but we also got to know Chris Eubanks the person.
The location for our second interview was the Flatiron Penthouse Podcast Studio in the middle of New York city. “I’ll try and get there a little early so that we can get mic’ed up and ready to go so that we can maximize the hour,” Eubanks said in response to our message confirming the location and time.
Eubanks rolled up solo and he was more than “a little early” as promised. We chopped it up for about 15 minutes, talking about everything from good food spots in the city to Jannik Sinner’s doping case, before making our way into the studio to record the pod.
It remains one of our favourite interviews to date. Eubanks spoke passionately about the TV work he was doing for ESPN at Flushing Meadows. We dubbed him “the face of the network” in reference to his smooth on-court interviewing style. He was quick to rubbish any such suggestion. We’ve ultimately kept the link ever since.
His humility is often mentioned when people describe his personality and we’ve been first-hand recipients. Following his agonising five-set, four-and-a-half-hour defeat by Jesper de Jong in the opening round at Wimbledon last summer, Eubanks, completely unprompted, provided us with a racket and tournament towel. “You can do with them whatever you want,” he said. “Maybe a little BSG giveaway or something.” Which is exactly what we did courtesy of an all-round good dude.
Eubanks went from a player we rooted for on the court to a “friend of the platform”. Now we’re excited for what lies ahead for our giant ally in the media space. They say nice guys finish last but our guy Big Banks is redefining that philosophy, ending things early and very much on his own terms.
Words by Eugene