Arthur Ashe is a legendary figure in tennis; not only due to his achievements, but because of the way he paved the way for future black tennis players. Considering his legendary status, several documentaries and movies have attempted to cover the life story of Ashe. In one documentary, none other than Chris Eubanks, the late-blooming American tennis star, took up the role. Eubanks, fresh off a big win in the Wimbledon Championships, opened up about his experience of starring as Arthur Ashe in a movie.

Eubanks faced the world number 5, Stefanos Tsitsipas in round four of Wimbledon. Many believed that it would be an easy victory for the Greek player. However, the American player stepped up and fought Tsitsipas to five sets and emerged victorious.

Chris Eubanks opens up on portraying the ATP legend in a documentary

After his victory against Tsitsipas, Eubanks sat down proudly for the post-match press conference and discuss his victory. As he replied to question after question from curious reporters, he was jubilant as he elaborated on one specific question. In a documentary film about the legendary Arthur Ashe, called Citizen Ashe, Eubanks acted as his double.

In the conference, Eubanks dove into getting the opportunity to act as Ashe. For Eubanks, it was a great experience, not only acting but also watching several interviews of his. Additionally, he also trained to copy his style, which was also an enjoyable activity for him. 

He said, “To be able to portray him, like you said in that documentary, was really, really cool. It was an experience, not just doing film, which was a bit different, something I’d never done before. But also having to do the research that I did, having to go back and watch old film to try to get the technique down and also watching, reading, you know, watching tons of interviews from him just to try to learn his demeanor, learn his perspective on things.”

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Along with learning his demeanor and perspectives, Eubanks also focused on understanding Ashe’s philosophy.

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“It’s philosophy, how important education was, so many different things that challenged me, but it was also super, super rewarding when I got to see the final project. So it was something that I take great pride in, and I’m excited that I was selected to be able to do it.”

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Ashe was one player who changed the entire landscape of tennis. With many black icons currently in the sport, Ashe was one of the first ones to strive for diversity. His efforts helped his successors and even gave Eubanks a chance to portray him for a completely different project.