“My goal is to get to the top of the world in tennis.”
These are the words of 20-year-old tennis up-and-comer Toby Samuel, who is set to take part in his first Wimbledon Championships this week.
The man from Ringwood will be taking part in the main draw of the men’s doubles, with his partner Connor Thomson.
The story began for Toby aged three, when he moved next door to St Leonards and St Ives Tennis Club.
“I fell in love with it straight away,” Toby said.
“I had a great coach called Paul Handford and he helped me get into the game and help me really enjoy it through sponge ball and red ball, all the way up.
“I never looked back from there, I just loved the game ever since I started playing.”
- Read more: Toby Samuel roars to rankings summit
Toby moved on to the West Hants Club with coach Shane Deacon, where he spent his junior years.
He rose the rankings to British number one and reached the semi-final of the Junior Wimbledon Doubles Championships aged 15.
The next step for Toby was a move to the USA aged 17, when he was offered an opportunity to play college tennis at the University of South Carolina.
“It was a very big change in my life, living at home until I was 17, then suddenly moving to America on my own,” he said.
“It was important for me because it helped me mature and grow up. It’s helped me out in all aspects of my life off the court and on the court.”
Here, Toby’s tennis has gone from strength to strength under the tutelage of head coach Josh Goffi, as he reached the top of university tennis in the States.
- Read more: Rising star Toby Samuel confident he can 'compete at the highest level' after Wimbledon debut
He made history for his team, the Gamecocks, winning the ITA All American Championships this year with Connor and ending the season as the number one ranked doubles team in the US.
Toby won the overall athlete of the year at South Carolina and took home three singles titles and a doubles title on the entry level ITF professional tour, giving him an international ranking of 531.
The sports management and entertainment bachelor student was given wildcard entries into the men’s singles qualifiers and the doubles main draw.
In the qualifiers, Toby defied the odds to knock out Antoine Bellier, ranked 240 places higher than him.
He was then knocked out in the second round of qualifying but took positives from his experience.
“It showed me that I’m at this level and I can win matches here and that sort of helped me get ready for this doubles week,” he said.
“I’m so excited to get out here on the main courts and play in front of the fans and show everyone what we can do.
“I always knew that my level was there, it’s just being able to do that on the big stage. Having that result just gave me a bit of confidence that I can play and win at this level.”
Toby will be focusing on singles in the future, hoping to reach the summit of the world game.
“In the next couple of years, I’m hoping to get [to Wimbledon] on my own ranking,” he said.
“I feel I have the ability to do so, especially now.”
Toby and Connor will face Pedro Cachin and Yannick Hanfmann in the first round this week.
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