Toby Samuel: Brit to make Davis Cup debut after 'surreal' year

Toby Samuel says it feels "surreal" to be selected in Great Britain's Davis Cup team to face Ecuador this weekend after a breakthrough year.

Samuel was called up as the fifth member of GB's team for the first time last month, alongside Arthur Fery, Cameron Norrie, Henry Patten and Lloyd Glasspool.

The 23-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise over the past 12 months, climbing into the top 100 in the world rankings and making his debut in three Grand Slams.

"It's surreal being in this position now from where I was eight, nine months ago, [when I was] hopefully trying to play some Challengers, and now I'm sat here ready to play the Davis Cup - it's crazy," he told BBC Points West.

Samuel, who is from Winchester and trains in Bath, was in New York, having just made his US Open debut when he was told the news.

"I was out in New York walking around when I got a call up from Leon [Smith] the captain saying, 'congratulations, you've been selected," Samuel added.

"It was unbelievable, it was one of the best moments of my tennis life, to get called up to that, it's what every British player wants, to represent their country and play for their country."

At the US Open, Samuel claimed his first victory in a Grand Slam with a dominant win over Tomas Machac before losing to 18th seed Jiri Lehecka in the next round.

It has been a year of firsts as Samuel also reached the main draw of the French Open, coming through three rounds of qualifying before losing to world number eight Alex de Minaur in the first round proper.

Weeks later, he was handed a wildcard entry at Wimbledon and took Czech 15th seed and French Open semi-finalist Jakub Mensik all the way to five sets.

"At first it was a completely new experience, I was pretty nervous going to those tournaments, seeing the top guys there in the locker rooms and playing against them - I was sort of shaking a little bit on court," Samuel said.

"But after the second or third time I did it I got more used to it and I felt like I was a lot calmer on the court which helped me to go deep."

Stepping up to the top-tier tournaments has meant mentally and physically there has been a lot for Samuel to learn this past year.

With Challenger Tour matches played over three sets, this is the first time Samuel has consistently played up to five sets.

Being able to play for three, four or even five hours is a "new thing" for Samuel, although he does feel his serve and forehand have improved significantly.

"Before they were good but they weren't really scaring people," he said. "Now they're my biggest weapons and I can take matches with them."

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