Chris Eubanks: ‘We haven’t had the luxury of a Black male like Serena who just dominated’

The breakout star of Wimbledon talks about nearly quitting tennis, finding his second wind as a late bloomer and coming into his own as the role model he never had while growing up

Christopher Eubanks motions to the white chair in the player's area and adjusts a bench for himself, positioning his long legs on either side, trying to comfortably seat his 6ft 7in frame. The professional tennis player had just arrived in Washington DC the previous night, dropped his bags off at the hotel, and three hours later was at a Drake concert. Two days before, he was playing under the lights in quarter-finals at the Atlanta Open. Now, he is fielding my questions at the Mubadala Citi Open. When asked if the quick turnaround time was normal for him, he laughs.

No. Because I usually don't go that deep in tournaments."