A routine broadcast segment turned into a awkward on-air exchange in the Tennis Channel booth at Indian Wells on Monday.
Former pros Chris Eubanks and Coco Vandeweghe, along with comedian Hannah Berner, recorded a speed serve test for the broadcast Sunday.
Eubanks hit 103 mph, while Vandeweghe notched 113 mph on the radar. Berner reached as high as 87 mph.
The segment was aired for viewers Monday and the broadcast panned to the two analysts afterwards where Vandeweghe challenged Eubanks’ serving speed ability, which led to a viral moment.
“Is this going to be a thing now, like we’re just gonna keep every week being like, ‘Oh, can you break 103 mph?’” Eubanks, the former Wimbledon quarterfinalist, said on the broadcast.
“We could go back out today and try it on,” Vandeweghe responded. “I’ll wear this dress and throw down maybe 115 mph. I’ll keep rising.”
Ticked off and frustrated, Eubanks fired back a critique of Vandeweghe.
“See, here is the thing about me and you, Coco. I don’t like to just bask in my own career and accomplishments. I like to focus on the players,” he said. “I don’t want to talk about myself and what I did and what my serve was.
“I understand we’re a little different, I get that. Let’s just try to focus on the players. These are world-class athletes, that’s where the focus should be. Not on you and I sitting up here in our little fancy clothes out there trying to test our serve speed.”
There was a moment to conclude the on-air tiff, but Vandeweghe did not utilize the opportunity.
Instead, she fired back.
“Well, the difference also between you and I is that I keep recreating a new career,” she said. “And I just did it yesterday, but Hannah and I had a great time, Chris. It was a revenge of our revenge match from the 14-and-unders.”
Eubanks noticeably rollied his eyes at that comment.
During the pre-recorded serve segment, Berner and Vandeweghe were asked about Eubanks hardly cracking 100 mph on his serve.
“It was sad,” Vandeweghe said at the time.
Vandeweghe, 34, reached as high of a world No. 9 ranking in 2018 and made the semifinals of both the Australian Open and U.S. Open in 2017.
She won two WTA titles and won a major doubles title at the 2018 U.S. Open.
The New York native retired in 2023 and quickly transitioned into the broadcast booth.
Eubanks, who reached a career high of No. 29 after the storied run in Wimbledon in 2023, is a fresher face on broadcast after he just retired from the sport at 29 last November.
He previously dipped into the media industry to analyze the major tournaments, but now he will be permanently on fans’ screens.
Eubanks signed a three-year deal in February with the Tennis Channel and Indian Wells marks his debut as an on-air commentator and host.
