Toby Samuel says he wants to maintain his winning momentum after a string of victories lifted him from 1,405th in the ATP rankings to 171st in a year.
The Bath-based 23-year-old has won seven singles titles in the past six months and the rankings rise means he is likely to feature in the qualification rounds for this year’s upcoming three Grand Slams for the first time.
“If someone told me I’d be top 200 this time this year I wouldn’t believe them,” Samuels told BBC Radio Somerset.
“It’s crazy. It really feels like I’m starting to become an actual professional tennis player now, which was always my dream growing up.
“It’s just surreal and to be able to share that with my family and all the people who have supported me along the way has been amazing.”
Samuel, from Winchester and who trains at Bath University, has won four trophies on the Challenger Tour since November, including back-to-back titles in Greece this month.
He credits the run of good form with everything starting to align in terms of the work he has been putting in during training, and enjoying a period without injury.
He missed most of the 2024 season after suffering bone bruising and it was not until midway through 2025 he felt healthy and recovered.
“It’s been going well the last half a year – been winning quite a lot which is a nice feeling and I’m just trying to keep the momentum through each week, one match at a time, not too far ahead and focus the efforts on each week,” Samuel said.
The next goal for Samuel is to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam – he played at Wimbledon in 2023 in the doubles, reaching the last 32, but has never appeared in a singles event.
“That’s the next big goal for me,” Samuel said.
“It’s insane that I’m even going to be able to say that I’m playing Grand Slams. You watch it as a kid on TV like, ‘one day maybe I can be there’, but you don’t actually believe it – but now actually doing it feels amazing.”
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