"I always found some reason to keep going. This time, I couldn’t find a reason" - Eubanks unveils reasons for retirement as new career destines

Retiring from tennis is not normally a straight forward choice. For Christopher Eubanks, it was a logical step to his next destination in life. He spoke to former US Open champion Andy Roddick on the Served Podcast about his decision to quit the sport and what his future ambitions are.

Firstly, he confirmed the news. "I’m done playing tennis," Eubanks stated. "Tennis has probably been the biggest and best part of my life, but I feel like over the past couple of years, I’ve been slowly distancing myself from it. I don’t feel that fire anymore to want to do everything necessary to perform at the highest level. As I got older, I realised I don’t want it bad enough to empty the tank."

The American admitted that it was a 'weird transition' when stepping away from the sport he had committed his life to. "Yeah, it was a weird transition. At times, it didn’t feel like a transition at all. Last year I was in Atlanta working as talent, then I went and did Wimbledon and played great—I had the biggest result of my entire career. This year, though, I was having pretty much the opposite year.

He got to a stage where he started to question whether this was the right career path for him. "I got to a moment where I asked myself, 'Am I playing just to play? Am I playing for the money? Am I playing because people around me expect me to? Or am I still chasing something?'" he questioned. "And I realised I wasn’t chasing anything anymore. I didn’t feel like I was moving toward a goal."

Eubanks got his answer after an injury forced him on the sidelines. "By the time I hurt my wrist at the Olympics and couldn’t hit a ball for almost five weeks, my brain snapped into TV mode. I didn’t miss tennis. As great as tennis has been for me, I didn’t miss it. Even when I asked myself over the years whether I still wanted it, I always found some reason to keep going. This time, I couldn’t find a reason," he stated.

While he was not enjoying it as much as he used to, he acknowledged the fact that he felt guilt over these conflicted feelings. "There were times where I felt a little guilty. You’re told that if you don’t want something badly enough, you have to find that fire. And I realised… I wasn’t going to find it," he said. "Coming back from a successful year like 2023 and then having a rough year in 2024—those questions are natural. But I realised how little I wanted to do the things I didn’t want to do. The training felt harder. I didn’t look forward to long days. It wasn’t that I hated tennis; I just didn’t love it the same way."

The steps from not being an athlete anymore will be hard for the 29-year-old. "It’s scary, honestly. Being an athlete is the coolest job in the world because you know exactly what’s next: you train, you compete, you get better. And when you’re done, everything becomes ambiguous."

Despite this, he has found a new career path that will allow him to stay in tennis and is something that he relishes. "But the blessing is: I’m going from one niche industry to another niche industry. I never knew tennis would lead to broadcasting, but I wouldn’t have been a good broadcaster without being a player first. I had to be vulnerable, be emotional, experience the ups and downs. Tennis gave me everything I needed for this next chapter."

He first started with ESPN after an early defeat in the 2023 US Open. Since then, he has had to make the hard decision whether to pursue tennis or broadcasting. Ultimately, the choice he made left him making the tricky verdict to hang up his racket. "I asked myself the hard questions early: 'Do I want to keep going? If not, what’s my identity outside of being an athlete?' A lot of athletes struggle when they finish playing. Tennis was my identity for so long. So I started asking myself: — 'Who am I outside of tennis? — What do I like doing? — What makes me happy? — What am I curious about?' Broadcasting gave me an outlet to learn, to grow, to challenge myself in a new way. And I enjoyed being bad at it at first because I saw I could get better. It felt like a new sport."