Andy Murray vs Marcos Giron LIVE: Latest updates from Stuttgart Open as Wimbledon preparation begins

“My biggest goal in the last 12 months was to play in my fourth Olympics in Paris,” Heather Watson told the PA news agency, “So I put a big push on doubles in the last 12 months. I started off playing every week.

“It was after Wimbledon where I set that goal for myself because I just wanted to give it a good old go. Hopefully I am able to go and play doubles with Katie Boulter and mixed doubles with Joe Salisbury. That has been my main focus.

“I don’t know whether we have made it or not but now, whether we make it or not, I am going to focus on my singles because I have sacrificed it for the past 12 months.

“I want to get that back and I need to set new goals now. I am in a different place in my career and my life. London 2012 was one of the best experiences of my life. It is an honour to be at such an amazing event like that.”

Stricker has left the court for a medical time out, and Evans has also followed him out of the cold conditions in Nottingham.

Stricker has just slid awkwardly and might have injured himself here.

After a lengthy pause he gets gingerly to his feet, but is still receiving treatment.

Iga Swiatek called it a “huge challenge”, while Carlos Alcaraz wanted to enjoy his third grand slam title before turning his mind to emulating Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

On the women’s side, there is Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. Between them, it is a list of tennis legends and all-time greats – but a select group, too. They are the only players in the Open era to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same summer.

The Roland Garros-Wimbledon double, or the Channel Slam, as it is sometimes known, is notoriously difficult to accomplish. Only the most consummate players have mastered the switch from clay to grass after the French Open and the transition between different surfaces while being successful on both, especially for those who go deep into the tournament in Paris.

It may not be as hard as it used to be, given there are now three weeks between the grand slams rather than two, as well as the changing nature of grass and how it plays, but it’s still among the toughest tests in the sport.

It’s three games apiece in the final deciding set between Stricker and Evans in Nottingham, and pair seem to be going toe to toe.

Raducanu will not be able to get out on court until the conclusion of this match.

Emma Raducanu is up next at the Nottingham Open but first the match between Dan Evans and Dominic Stricker needs to reach its conclusion.

Britain’s Evans took the opening set 6-3 before Stricker won the second 6-4. Currently in the third set, Evans leads 3-1.

Heather Watson says she has sacrificed her singles career for the past 12 months in order to focus on doubles in a bid to qualify for a fourth Olympics.

The 32-year-old will find out in the next few days whether she has done enough to be part of Team GB in Paris later this summer.

Watson would play with British number one Katie Boulter in the women’s doubles and then most likely Joe Salisbury in the mixed doubles.

Emma Raducanu faces Japan’s Ena Shibahara in the Nottingham first round today and says she is ‘really healthy, really strong’.

“Body-wise, physical-wise, I feel really healthy. I feel really strong,” said Raducanu, who played her first WTA match at Nottingham in 2021 before going on to win the US Open later that year.

“I’ve done amazing work with my trainer over the last few months, since surgery. I’m in a really fit place. I think my wrists are actually in a better position than they ever were.

“So there’s zero doubt or apprehension whether I’m hitting the ball or designing my schedule. It’s more about being proactive and not wanting to put yourself in any unnecessary situations.”

Murray and Dan Evans’ scratch pairing was shortlived after they were beaten in the first round of the French Open.

But the two-time Wimbledon champion fancies another crack at SW19 this summer and might reprise his Davis Cup-winning partnership with his elder sibling.

Andy Murray opted not to defend his title in Surbiton, but is set to play both Queen’s and Eastbourne ahead of the year’s third grand slam, which starts on July 1.