By Erik Gudris | @ATNTennis | Monday July 10, 2023
Christopher Eubanks, earlier than his electrifying run on the All-England Membership, portrayed one of many sport’s icons in two documentaries.
Now they each share a chunk of Wimbledon historical past.
The 27-year-old Eubanks continues to captivate tennis followers along with his stellar run at Wimbledon this 12 months, the place his 5 set victory over No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitisipas positioned Eubanks into the final eight on the occasion in his foremost draw match debut.
A couple of years in the past, Eubanks lived a wholly completely different tennis expertise, when he had the chance to painting one of many sport’s nice champions – Arthur Ashe – in two separate documentaries concerning the legendary participant and activist.
Simply final 12 months, Eubanks appeared as a younger Ashe within the CNN documentary “Citizen Ashe.” Eubanks posted about his look on his social media.
Be sure you preserve a detailed eye on Arthur’s double in the course of the #CitizenAshe documentary 👀 https://t.co/Ngd0KWydGx
— Christopher Eubanks (@chris_eubanks96) June 15, 2022
After his win over Tsitsipas, Eubanks was requested about his expertise participating within the documentary and what he would possibly ask the good Ashe if he may sit down with him.
“If I had that chance, I would truthfully simply need to choose his mind on what he thinks of my recreation,” he stated. “That might in all probability be the best factor, to have the ability to say, ‘Hey, perhaps you’ve got seen me play, what do you assume? The place are some areas I can enhance? I do know that you just obtained a fairly large serve, you had forehand, you had a nasty backhand slice. I am making an attempt to perform a little little bit of that. You prefer it? You do not?’ Simply to sort of get his trustworthy opinion.”
Eubanks, 27, and within the midst of a profession 12 months, says that by portraying Ashe, he obtained to know the American tennis legend, icon and human rights activist even higher.
“To have the ability to painting him in that documentary was actually, actually cool,” he stated. “It was an expertise not simply doing movie, which was a bit completely different, one thing I would by no means finished earlier than, but in addition having to do the analysis that I did, having to return and watch outdated movie to attempt to get the approach down. Additionally watching tons of interviews of him simply to attempt to be taught his demeanor, his perspective on issues, his philosophy, how necessary training was.”
A couple of years earlier in 2018, Eubanks additionally portrayed Ashe in one other documentary “The Ashe ’68 VR Expertise” that was first featured on the 2018 US Open after which later premiered on the 2019 Sundance Movie Pageant.
That quick documentary showcased Eubanks as Ashe whereas it instructed the story of Ashe changing into the primary Black American to win the US Open males’s singles title in 1968.
“It was additionally tremendous, tremendous rewarding after I obtained to see the ultimate undertaking. It was one thing that I take nice pleasure in and I am excited I used to be chosen to have the ability to do it,” Eubanks added concerning the expertise.
Ashe, who gained Wimbledon in 1975, and the Australian Open in 1970, handed away at age 49 in 1993 as a consequence of AIDS-related pneumonia.
With Eubanks’s personal run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, he turns into solely the third U.S. Black American man to succeed in the final eight on the All-England Membership together with Ashe and 1996 finalist MaliVai Washington, because the begin of the Open Period.
Christopher Eubanks is the third Black American man to succeed in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon because the begin of the Open Period in 1968. He joins Arthur Ashe (3 instances) and MaliVai Washington (1996).
This was his first ever win over an ATP Prime-10 participant. pic.twitter.com/ZzY6Atkx8t
— ESPN Stats & Data (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 10, 2023
Ashe, who gained 793 ATP matches and 44 titles, would have turned 80 as we speak.
We have a good time and honor the legacy of Arthur Ashe on what could be his eightieth birthday! pic.twitter.com/wDwYLrkYVp
— USTA (@usta) July 10, 2023
Eubanks will subsequent play Daniil Medvedev within the quarterfinals.
Photograph Credit score: Mike Hewitt/Getty
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