"We can try to get some Grand Slams with you carrying me" - Christopher Eubanks proposes to be Serena Williams' doubles partner if she shelves retirement and makes her tennis comeback
If Serena Williams does decide to return to tennis, she already has a mixed doubles partner waiting in the wings.
Speaking to the Tennis Channel, 26-year-old American tennis player Christopher Eubanks proposed to be Williams' partner should the 23-time Grand Slam champ make good on her comeback tease.
"I hope so. I'd love to see her [Serena Williams] back in a tournament again. Maybe that's playing doubles, maybe that's a little mixed doubles. Give me a call if that's what you're looking to do. I'm sure we can try to get some Grand Slams at some point with you carrying me," said Christopher Eubanks.
Williams decided to "evolve" away from tennis, expressing her dislike for the word "retirement" in a personal essay that appeared in Vogue magazine. She drew the curtain on her storied career at the US Open early last month, where she reached the third round before bowing to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic.
However, during the recent TechCrunch Disrupt conference where she promoted her investment company Serena Ventures in San Francisco last week, she said that she was "not retired" and the chances of her playing again are "very high."
"I am not retired. The chances (of a return) are very high. You can come to my house, I have a court," she stated.
World No. 137 Eubanks said that there is a certain nuance with how the American avoided the use of the word "retirement," preferring "evolution" instead. That said, if the latter involves a comeback to tennis, Eubanks is all for it.
"When Serena first made an announcement of her evolution, she made it a point to not use the word retirement. I think a lot of people in the media want her to answer that question on retirement. She refuses to. So I think this is kind of, just maybe a play on words here. She doesn't plan on retiring - she wants to continue to evolve. And I think that's kind of where nuance lies," said Christopher Eubanks.
"Her saying that her chances of returning to the sport is really high. I hope so. I'd love to see her back in a tournament again," he added.
"I hope to see her back in some way, giving back to the sport" - Christopher Eubanks on Serena Williams
Christopher Eubanks expressed hopes for a Serena Williams comeback, saying tennis is better when she is a part of it.
"I hope to see her back in some way, giving back to the sport. Just being part of it because the sport is better when she is," said Christopher Eubanks.
The American veteran has been busy handling her businesses and spending time with her family since the US Open. She also worked the runway at the New York Fashion Week and released her first book.