“Same points, less travel”: Chris Eubanks discusses the ATP Schedule and decision to stay in America for Challengers

Christopher Eubanks spoke on the "Served with Andy Roddick" podcast about the demanding ATP schedule and explained why he opted to compete in Challenger tournaments at the end of the year rather than traveling to Asia for Tour-level events.

The 28-year-old player decided after the US Open to stay in the Americas and play Challenger events. Eubanks acknowledged that while ATP 250 or 500 tournaments feature the world's best players, for some of his colleagues outside the top-50, it might be more convenient to remain in Challenger tournaments.

The 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinalist has spent much of his career in Challenger events. Until early July 2023, Eubanks had not broken into the top-150, but a strong run during the grass-court swing propelled him into the top-30 and saw him enter the main draws of several ATP tournaments, even as a seeded player in some.

Previously, Eubanks had to decide whether to play in ATP 250 qualifiers or continue competing in Challengers. This season, he was unable to replicate last year's results and experienced a sharp drop in the rankings (currently world No. 114), focusing his efforts on Challenger tournaments towards the end of the year.

“I still could go and play some of those Asian tournaments if I wanted to, I could be in qualys and build my way, however the way that the points are kind of set up, so qualys of a 250 is the same as main draw of a Challenger,” Eubanks explained. “It's roughly the same amount of points if you win five matches in a Challenger, or you start in qualys (at 250’s) and win five matches. There's a cap on it, obviously you can't go above if you win five matches in a Tour event, with two more matches there. You can't exceed that in a Challenger, but in essence, it's the same points-wise.”

“It’s nice for me to play back in the States and stay a little more in my comfort zone. Even if they’re Challengers, there’s still a really good opportunity for me to play some solid tennis and finish the year strong. I think I’m playing seven Challengers to close out the year.”

“So I was like, ‘Alright, I’m going to Asia to play bigger tournaments,’ but that's tougher competition for the same amount of points as I could get if I were playing in the US,” Eubanks added. “I’d rather do that. That’s the decision between the two. Last year, when I was top-30, I had to play Tour events and couldn’t play Challengers until I dropped outside the top-50.”

The 2023 Mallorca Open champion used his colleague Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard as an example. Perricard quickly transitioned from Challengers to winning his first Tour title and reaching the top-50 with just a handful of main-draw appearances.

“With my game style, I’ve always played better when I play a lot of matches — it’s like you play your way into form,” Eubanks said. “A perfect example is Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the big Frenchman. He won the title in Lyon this year before the French Open.”

“I think he played well there, had a good Wimbledon run, and won two Challengers in Mexico, one in altitude and one at sea level, back-to-back in April. That’s tough. And with his game style — serving two first serves, bombing his serve with confidence — he came straight into the Tour and won his first title in Lyon a month later.”

“With big game styles like mine, if we play a lot of matches, it usually pays off,” Eubanks concluded.