‘Always Lighthearted’ – Fellow American Tennis Player Opens up on His Relationship With Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff rose to fame when she beat Venus Williams in the first round of the 2019 Wimbledon. However, one win wasn’t enough for the 18-year-old. She again went on beat Venus Williams in the first round of the 2020 Australian Open. This time she also beat Naomi Osaka in the third round in the same tournament. Since then, her career has been skyrocketing.

Even though she has been rising in her career, the American has made it a point to maintain the soundest of relations with fellow players. One such player is ATP World No. 157, Christopher Eubanks. Recently, 25-year-old Eubanks opened up on his relationship with Coco Gauff. The Atlanta-born player elaborated on the bond shared between him and Gauff, calling her his younger sister.

Christopher Eubanks elaborates on his relationship with Gauff

Eubanks recently took part in the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast. During the 21-minute-long conversation, the American spoke on a variety of topics ranging from his time at the Mouratoglou Academy, to his practice with Serena and spending time with actor Jamie Foxx. However, out of the whole bunch of topics, one topic that caught a major eye was his relationship with Gauff.

Conversing with Eubanks, Podcast host Jill Craybas asked him about his relationship with Gauff and how often they talk about the game pressure.

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Answering the question, Eubanks took no time in clearing the air by saying that they don’t talk about tennis at all. However, he made a point that the two probably talk every single day.

Eubanks, as well as Gauff, are both professional tennis players. However, during the Podcast, Eubanks revealed that he last spoke about tennis with Gauff during the 2021 Indian Wells when Gauff teams up with Leylah Fernandez for doubles. “The last time I texted her something about tennis was after her first-round doubles. It was with Leylah and I said you guys are an incredible team. She was like…thanks. Usually, we don’t talk tennis that much.” 

What do the two talk about

Clearing the air that they don’t talk about tennis, he went on elaborating on the conversations the two indulge in. “She’s very very big on Tik-Tok and I’m not. So, what she’ll do is she’ll just send me Tik-Toks she thinks is funny. Then she’ll ask for my response, that’s kind of funny, or that wasn’t funny at all. Then we’ll argue about it. I’ll respond to something she does on social media,” he said.

Re-emphasizing the fact that they talk almost everyday, he asserted that Gauff knows that he is in her corner and is probably one of her biggest supporters. He said, “We talk almost every day I would say. But it is always lighthearted. It’s just like she knows I’m in her corner. She knows that I’m probably one of her biggest supporters.”

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Eubanks has often been heard addressing Gauff as her younger sister and is just like a family to her. Elaborating further, Eubanks said that he usually talks about her family, and her younger brothers, who also are athletes.

“I ask her how her brothers are doing and how is her younger brother Cody. He is one of the best catchers in the country in baseball. Her youngest brother Cameron is one of the best in the under eleven football team. I’ll just get stuff on check about the family and things like that. So, it’s usually like that. Tennis is not a topic of conversation.”

Coco Gauff on the tour

Even though Gauff doesn’t talk much about tennis with Eubanks, that isn’t the case in her playing. On the tour, Coco last played at the WTA 1000 BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells). Entering the tournament as the 16th seed, Gauff received a first-round bye, starting her campaign from the second round. In the second round, she beat fellow American, Claire Liu. However, the run was short-lived as she was soon beaten by Simona Halep in the third round.