THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 30, 2026

Toby Samuel

Press Conference

J. MENSIK/T. Samuel

5-7, 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Could you talk us through the experience out there this afternoon.

TOBY SAMUEL: Yeah, obviously it was a great experience to be able to play such a good player on that court.

I was happy with how I played. Obviously came down to a few points at the end there, which could have gone either way. I'm happy with how I played.

Credit to him, he really dug it out there and got through in the end.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How much confidence does it give you that you're able to push a top-15 player so far?

TOBY SAMUEL: Yeah, I mean, that's my sort of first Wimbledon. I've played against two now high seeds at slams, my first two slams. This one was a lot closer than the last one. I've made big improvements from that last match, so I'm hoping now, yeah, I have the confidence and I know I can play against these high-level, high-rank guys well.

Moving forward, there's obviously a few things I can work on to try and be able to get through that next year.

Q. How much confidence did you get from your run at Eastbourne?

TOBY SAMUEL: Yeah, I mean, that also gave me great confidence, beating a few guys top 100, top 50. Coming into this, I've played on the grass, I was feeling good. I knew I had a good shot today. Obviously just came short.

I mean, overall, I'm very happy with the last few weeks and how it's gone.

Q. What was it like playing out there? I'm sure it was a very special moment.

TOBY SAMUEL: Yeah, I mean, super special. My family, my friends all there supporting me, cheering me on. Being able to play on that Court 3, it's a big court, you have the balcony above. And it's just a great experience. I was happy with how I dealt with it, embraced it, and really got stuck into the match.

Q. You've risen up the rankings over the last couple years. How would you sum up that progress?

TOBY SAMUEL: Yeah, because I've sort of gone up very quick, I've been sort of put into these high-pressure situations really quickly. Haven't had much time to get used to it, playing against these top guys.

I think I'm sort of solidifying I can play against these guys, I can play at this level. And that's what comes with going up the rankings quick, you get to play these unbelievable matches without having much experience coming into it.

I'm very happy with how my level is right now.

Q. Do you think your days in South Carolina helped deal with these high-pressure situations?

TOBY SAMUEL: Yeah, 100%. Every match at university, South Carolina, it's big pressure. You got like a bunch of fans coming out. It's very high, intense situations you have to go through there. That's why I think a lot of college players come out of college, and they can compete at such a high level on the tour. And they can make big ranking jumps quickly.

Q. There's a lot of British guys around your age. Did you ask any of them for any support ahead of your first Wimbledon?

TOBY SAMUEL: Yeah, I mean, I think I didn't necessarily speak to them individually, but we all sort of support each other, all speaking a lot off the court, saying, Hi, how you doing, good luck today and stuff.

I think we all have each other's backs, which is good. In such a sort of high-pressure environment, it's like having that sort of bond is such a big help for us.

Q. How do you look back at the last couple months?

TOBY SAMUEL: Yeah, I mean, typically hard has been my best surface from college and even on the tour, it's where my best results come. To be able to get these results on two surfaces I have hardly played on before this year is really positive.

Hopefully now into the hard swing, I can push through the next few months, try and make US Open main is what my next goal is. Then, yeah, from now on obviously trying to go deeper in the slams, if I can.