Wimbledon’s “Last 8 Club” and why Chris Eubanks gets free tickets for life

Christopher Eubanks has already caused a stir at Wimbledon when he sensationally reached the quarterfinals on his debut at the tournament.

The American, who will play Daniil Medvedev for a place in the semifinals, defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets to claim the biggest win of his career.

After years of trying, Eubanks only made it into the world’s top 100 at the beginning of the year when he fought his way through qualifying to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open – where he lost to Medvedev.

Coming to Wimbledon, Eubanks unexpectedly found his form on grass, winning his first ATP Tour title in Mallorca before arriving at SW19.

Eubanks then defeated British number one tennis player Cameron Norrie and fifth seed Tsitsipas to reach the quarterfinals, which also earned him a place in Wimbledon’s exclusive “Last 8 Club”.

What is Wimbledon’s Last 8 Club?

Any player who reaches the quarterfinals or the last eight in the men’s or women’s singles is eligible to join the Wimbledon “Last 8 Club”.

This entails significant benefits for Eubanks, including free tickets to the championships and access to hospitality suits at the All England Club after his playing career ends.

Eubanks didn’t have great expectations when he arrived at Wimbledon – he had won just two Grand Slam matches in the previous five years – but now he is “living his dream” as he takes center stage at the championships.

“It’s a dream come true,” he said after his win against Tsitsipas. “It’s hard to put it into words, but to go out there today and play like I did, just taking it all in, it’s surreal. I can’t really describe it.”

“Everything from realising I have two Wimbledon titles for the rest of my life, to checking my phone and seeing my name as an ESPN alert, to realising how much I hated grass at the start of the grass season, to looking at where I am now. There are so many different ways I could handle this.

“I think the whole experience was just a whirlwind. It was something you dream about. But I think for me, I didn’t really know if that dream was actually going to come true. Now I’m sitting in here, so it’s pretty cool.”

The 27-year-old, who was ranked outside the world’s top 200 just two years ago, thanked Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka for giving him the belief that he could make an impression at the Grand Slams.

“They’ve been saying for a long time that they believe I belong at this level. For a long time I asked myself again whether I was consistent enough to really play consistently at this level.

“I knew I could compete in every match and maybe come out on top and give some guys trouble. I don’t know if I really believed I could do it in every match against strong opponents.

“That’s something Coco has been telling me for a long time. Naomi even says the same thing. That was kind of the most important thing to build and reinforce the confidence. Hey, you can play at this level, you just have to believe in it. When I’m around her and I hear her talk about her belief, it’s kind of contagious. It rubs off on you.

“When they talk about their goals or what they feel when they step onto the pitch, I feel a bit like the underdog because I think: you are mentally different from me. You are so much more focused and confident when you step onto the pitch.”

“I think it’s starting to rub off on me when I step on the court and think: hey, I can play at this level, I belong at this level. I just have to go out there and really believe in it. I have to be comfortable giving it everything I’ve got.”