All on the table, tennis talk like never before, episode 3 with Rublev, Eubanks, Schwartzman and Struff
Welcome to a remarkable third edition of the UTS talk show, “All On The Table”, a unique format of discussion in which top players chat candidly together about their games and some of the biggest issues in tennis.
Andrey Rublev (Rublo), Diego Schwartzman (El Peque), Jan-Lennard Struff (The Thunder) and Christopher Eubanks (The Rocket), join forces for a fascinating discussion in Germany for UTS Frankfurt, which took place between September 15th -17th.
Schwartzman opens up on playing for his country, Eubanks talks about his introduction to commentating and Rublev details his wins over each of the Big Three, with all four men giving us a genuine insight into the men behind the players we see on court.
“Novak was in the Belgrade final, but he was dead,” Rublev explains, of his record against the Big Three. “Federer was in Cincinnati. Rafa in Monte-Carlo. And I beat Andy (Murray), too. But it was Andy not when he was at the top, it was the Andy after surgery.”
Each man discusses the differences in playing Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. “Sometimes with Novak and Rafa, you feel like you’re in the match but you’re not winning points,” Eubanks says.
“With Roger, the score is better, like 4 and 4, but you weren’t really in the match.”
Schwartzman explains why sport is so important in his country. “In sport in Argentina, representing country is the most important thing,” he says. “For me, it’s the best thing I can do.”
Eubanks outlines his experience in sitting on the other side of the camera, working as a commentator for ESPN.
“Now, when I watch NBA or NFL or whatever, I’ll know what’s going on,” he says. “Like, if the producer is talking in their ear, their cadence will be like this (up and down) and then they’ll kind of slow down it down because they need to listen, like, if they’re being told a stat that they need to use.”
Rublev says Eubanks is a natural talent and that commentary is not for everyone. “He could do a baking show,” he jokes. The chances of Rublev commentating, though, are slim. “It’s not about honesty, it’s about education. Look how he (Eubanks) speaks and then me, it’s like, ‘oh, er, er,”
And Struff asks the other three if they check flight timetables before matches, knowing they might lose. ”I am not checking flights,” Rublev says. “I have agents (to do that).”