Toby Samuel, a young tennis player from Winchester who trains in Bath, has been selected to make his Davis Cup debut after a remarkable year. He received the call while in New York, having just participated in his first US Open. Samuel recalled the moment: "I was out in New York walking around when I got a call from Leon [Smith], the captain, saying, 'congratulations, you've been selected.' It was unbelievable, one of the best moments of my tennis life. Every British player wants to represent their country and play for their country."
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At the US Open, Samuel achieved his first Grand Slam victory against Tomas Machac, although he was eliminated by 18th seed Jiri Lehecka in the subsequent round. His year also included a presence in the main draw of the French Open, where he came through three rounds of qualifying before facing world number eight Alex de Minaur.
Later, he received a wildcard entry to Wimbledon, where he pushed Czech 15th seed and French Open semi-finalist Jakub Mensik to a five-set match. Samuel described the initial nerves of competing in high-level tournaments, saying, "It was a completely new experience. I was pretty nervous going to those tournaments, seeing the top guys in the locker rooms and playing against them; I was sort of shaking a little bit on court. But after the second or third time, I got more used to it and felt a lot calmer, which helped me advance deeper into the matches."
This year has been a steep learning curve for Samuel, as he transitioned from the Challenger Tour, typically played over three sets, to consistently enduring five-set matches. He noted that playing for three, four, or even five hours is a new challenge for him, though he has seen improvements in his serve and forehand. "Before they were good but they weren't really scaring people. Now they're my biggest weapons, and I can take matches with them," he said.