"I've never seen a laser-like focus like when I was practicing with Serena Williams, she is the GOAT" - Christopher Eubanks
Christopher Eubanks lavished praise on Serena Williams in a recent interview, calling her the undisputed GOAT (Greatest of All Time). Having practiced with her at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, Eubanks remarked that he had never seen another player with such "laser-like focus."
Speaking on the latest episode of the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, the American admitted that practicing with the 23-time Grand Slam champion proved beneficial for him. Williams being "dialed in" on every single ball meant that the 25-year-old had to be just as attentive to keep up with his sparring partner.
"I think the biggest thing is that I've never seen a laser-like focus like when I was practicing with Serena Williams," Eubanks said. "Also, in turn, it made me a lot more focussed too. We can go and practice with our peers, obviously this is our job and our way of making a living, but the way she can dial in on every single ball is something that I feel would be missing in my own practice."
Oh wow Vika is in Florida with Patrick Mouratoglou Academy and the group there (Serena, Coco, Eubanks, ShaunT, etc) Seen at Karoke tonight on their live video. 😍❤️ https://t.co/znZip86RTJ
Eubanks revealed that he has practiced with many players over the years but has never encountered anyone who forced him to be as focused as the former World No. 1.
"When you're playing some guy and you miss a ball, no one is going to say a thing," he said. "But Serena is the GOAT. I don't really want to miss balls when I am practicing with her. It's just that awareness, like I need to lock in and focus on every ball [that helped me]. There's not that many people that I've practiced with where I felt - I don't want to call it attention, but I'll just call it focus."
"There's nothing too specific about Serena Williams' tennis that stands out per se, but mentally it was a totally different level" - Christopher Eubanks
When asked what was particularly impressive about watching Serena Williams in action, Christopher Eubanks struggled to put his finger on anything specific. The World No. 157 stated that he did not face anything unexpected, mostly because he already expected the 40-year-old's shot-making to be top notch.
More than any quantifiable metric, the quality that stood out to him was Williams' mentality, which was on a "totally different level."
"I've seen [Serena Williams] play several times," Eubanks said. "The weight of the shot isn't that big. She's one of the cleanest ball-strikers ever, so I know if she hits a backhand I am going to be in trouble. There's nothing too specific about her tennis that stands out per se, but mentally it was a totally different level."
Serena Williams is forced to retire from The Champions 2021 due to an injury in the first set of her first-round match at Wimbledon. https://t.co/ZUpdGaUCty
Unfortunately, fans have not seen the 23-time Grand Slam champion in action since last year's Wimbledon Championship. It appears that they will have to wait a little bit longer, as there has been no official word from the Williams camp regarding when she will be back from injury.