"I remember the pride he had in being the No. 1 American" - Christopher Eubanks praises Andy Roddick ahead of 20-year anniversary of his US Open win

Once a happy hunting ground for American men, the US Open title has become an elusive one since Andy Roddick last won the title in 2003. He is also the last US finalist at the event, having finished as the runner-up to Roger Federer in 2006.

On the women's side, however, the USA has been going strong. Sloane Stephens won the title as recently as 2017 while Serena Williams (2019) remains the last finalist.

With 2023 marking the 20th anniversary of Roddick's last US Open win, there has been a lot of clamor about the American drought at the event. However, the latest crop of male players from the North American nation are well positioned to break the rut.

Two Americans - Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoes - find themselves in the top 10 of the ATP rankings, while another - Tommy Paul - is not far behind. At the recently concluded Wimbledon Championships, Christopher Eubanks reached as far as the quarterfinals, before losing a hard-fought five-set contest to Daniil Medvedev.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of his Canadian Open campaign, Eubanks was asked about his memories of Roddick's 2003 US Open win. The World No. 29 stated that while he doesn't remember that particular match very well, he does recall the former World No. 1's other big contests, like his Wimbledon final against Roger Federer.

"Unfortunately, I don't remember that match that well. A lot of my childhood is a bit of a blur for some reason. I don't know why. I can remember certain matches. I can remember his match with Federer in the final at Wimbledon. That's one I can remember pretty well, like, kind of being in front of the TV watching," he said.

"That '03 is a bit of a -- I think I was, like, seven. I don't remember that much from being seven. I remember going to tournaments and whatnot," Eubanks continued.

"I can remember when he retired and it was kind of that find that question of who was going to be the next guy. John filled that void for a good bit of time, as well, and did it exceptionally well. So I can kind of remember that. I can remember post US Open," he added.

Federer and Roddick faced off in the championship match at Wimbledon thrice (2004, 2005, and 2009), with the Swiss maestro coming out on top on all occasions.

While Eubanks couldn't recall Roddick's last US Open win, the 27-year-old is well aware of his compatriot's role as the torchbearer for the sport in America.

"But, I mean, I always remember Andy kind of being the bearer for American tennis for years and how he handled that so exceptionally well. And then, obviously, James [Blake] was right there with him inside the top 10. Marty came along inside the top 10," he expressed.

"Throughout those ups and downs, Andy was a really, really consistent player kind of holding that mantle as the number one American. So I can remember that and I can remember the pride that he had in being the No. 1 American," Eubanks added.

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Christopher Eubanks recalls using Andy Roddick's tennis racket to replicate his US Open triumph

Christopher Eubanks is currently ranked ATP World No. 29.

While Christopher Eubanks doesn't recall watching Andy Roddick clinch the 2003 US Open title, he was well aware of 'how' he did it and even looked to replicate it.

Roddick used the Babolat Pure Drive at the New York Major that year, defeating the likes of Tim Henman, Ivan Ljubičić, Flávio Saretta, Xavier Malisse, Sjeng Schalken, David Nalbandian, and Juan Carlos Ferrero to clinch the only Grand Slam title of his career.

In a bid to recreate Roddick's success, the 27-year-old switched to using the Babolat Pure Drive racket.

"I do remember, though, I used Andy's racket, his Babolat Pure Drive, when I was young. And that was kind of the thing of, like, oh. It was probably one of the more popular rackets for juniors at that time. But I remember saying, 'Oh, if Roddick won the US Open with this, maybe I can play well with it too'. Other than that, I don't have many memories of that match," he recalled.

Eubanks, meanwhile, faced an opening round at the Canadian Open on Monday, losing 7-6(3), 6(4)-7, 6-1 to Gael Monfils.