Toby Samuel has described his selection for Great Britain’s Davis Cup squad as “one of the best moments” of his life, following a remarkable 12-month period that saw him break into the world’s top 100.
The 23-year-old from Winchester will join teammates Arthur Fery, Cameron Norrie, Henry Patten, and Lloyd Glasspool when Britain faces Ecuador at London’s Copper Box arena this weekend.
Samuel’s rise has been swift. Just eight or nine months ago, he was competing on the Challenger Tour, but he has since reached the main draws of three Grand Slams this year. He made his US Open debut last month, where he recorded his first victory at a major by defeating Tomas Machac before falling to 18th seed Jiri Lehecka.
Earlier this year, Samuel progressed through three rounds of qualifying at the French Open, ultimately losing in the first round to world number eight Alex de Minaur. At Wimbledon, he received a wildcard entry and pushed Czech player Jakub Mensik, the French Open semi-finalist, to five sets.
“It’s surreal being in this position now from where I was eight, nine months ago, hopefully trying to play some Challengers, and now I’m sat here ready to play the Davis Cup – it’s crazy,” Samuel told BBC Points West.
He recalled receiving the news while in New York. “I was out walking around when I got a call up from Leon [Smith], the captain, saying, ‘congratulations, you’ve been selected.’ It was unbelievable, one of the best moments of my tennis life. It’s what every British player wants, to represent their country.
Adapting to the elite level has required significant mental and physical adjustments. Moving from best-of-three-set Challenger matches to the longer format of Grand Slams was a new challenge, but Samuel believes his game has matured.
“At first it was a completely new experience… I was sort of shaking a little bit on court,” he admitted. “But after the second or third time I did it I got more used to it and felt a lot calmer.
Samuel also noted improvements in his key weapons. “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, referring to his serve and forehand.
From shaking on court to winning majors. That’s the kind of British tennis success we’ve been missing for years.
Is he really ready for the physical demands? Challenger to Grand Slam in nine months sounds too fast to sustain.
Ecuador won’t know what hit them. His serve has become a legitimate weapon. Great to see local talent rising.
That US Open win over Machac was huge! Toby deserves every bit of this recognition for his hard work.