French Open debut fuels Team Bath Tennis ace Toby Samuel’s ambition for more Grand Slam appearances
Team Bath Tennis ace Toby Samuel has set his sights on more Grand Slam appearances after making his debut at the French Open.
Samuel, coached by Ian MacDonald and Tiernan Brady at the University of Bath, produced three outstanding performances to become only the fourth British man in 50 years to progress through qualifying and book his place in the main draw at Roland Garros.
He faced world number eight Alex de Minaur and acquitted himself well in hot conditions, breaking the Australian early in the second set before eventually being defeated 6-4 6-4 6-2 on Court 14.
It was the first time Samuel had faced a player in the world’s top 100 and, as well as earning £75,039 in prize money, he gained plenty of invaluable experience from what he described as “one of the coolest weeks in my life”.
He told BBC Radio Somerset: “I got to play a player top 10 in the world, which I had not done before. Next year I will be more confident and more comfortable getting exposure at that level – that’s where I want to be in the future.”
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Samuel, who has risen to 159 in the men’s singles world rankings, has won four ATP Challenger Tour titles in the past six months and continued that excellent form into qualifying.
He defeated American Martin Damm Jr, the seventh seed, 7-6 6-2 in his opening match before beating former world number 7 David Goffin 5-7 6-3 6-3. Samuel clinched his place at Roland Garros by again coming from behind to defeat Peru’s Gonzalo Bueno 5-7 6-1 6-3.
Samuel is now back in Britain for the grass court season and will hope to secure a place in the main draw at Wimbledon, either via a wildcard or qualifying.
Team Bath Tennis supports players on all stages of their career, from children picking up a racquet for the first time to professionals competing at Grand Slams. Visit teambath.com/tennis to find out more.
