Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek confirmed their supremacy by taking home the French Open trophies.

Djokovic overtakes Carlos Alcaraz to return to world number one as a result while Swiatek has shored up a position at the top of the women’s rankings that was in danger.

As the tennis circus moves onto the grass and the build-up to Wimbledon, the PA news agency answers the important questions.

What did we learn about the men’s game?

That Djokovic will always find his best level at a grand slam irrespective of his results in the build-up. The younger generation may be able to beat him over best-of-three sets but best-of-five is another story. With Rafael Nadal out for the season and seemingly heading for retirement, 36-year-old Djokovic looks more dominant than ever.

Could he complete the calendar Grand Slam?

Why not? No man has managed it since Rod Laver in 1969 but the French Open has always been the hardest slam for Djokovic to win. He will be a hot favourite at Wimbledon, where he is trying to tie Roger Federer’s record of eight titles. The US Open has been the most unpredictable slam in recent years, with nerves getting the better of Djokovic the only previous time he had the opportunity to claim the Grand Slam in 2021, but second time around it could well be different.

How will Alcaraz be feeling?

The Spaniard produced some electrifying tennis in Paris but it was a surprise to see him break down physically so relatively early in his semi-final against Djokovic. He was very open afterwards in admitting the tension of the occasion got the better of him. It is easy to forget he is still only 20 and he will no doubt learn from the experience. His talent and potential remain off the charts.

What about Swiatek?

The 22-year-old Pole lifted the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for the third time in four years with a tight victory over Karolina Muchova that in some ways feels her most important slam result. Swiatek has shown since racing to the title in Paris in 2020 that she is a ruthless front-runner but fighting through the tough battles has not come so easily. This will be a huge confidence booster.

And the British challenge?

Disappointing to say the least. Only three players made the start-line in singles and of those only Cameron Norrie won a match, with another injury for Jack Draper that rules him out of the grass season compounding the misery. Norrie did well to defeat two French players and the vocal crowd but put in a poor performance against Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.

Is it doom and gloom for Wimbledon?

Not necessarily. The absences of Draper and Emma Raducanu are a blow but Andy Murray has started well on the grass with a Challenger title in Surbiton and Norrie was a semi-finalist last year. All the British women will need wild cards, which is pretty embarrassing, but grass will be an opportunity for the likes of Katie Boulter, Katie Swan, Jodie Burrage and Harriet Dart to push towards the top 100.

England have named uncapped Western Storm duo Lauren Filer and Danielle Gibson in their 15-player group for next week’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.

Jon Lewis’ side begin their quest to win back the Ashes for the first time since 2014 with a five-day Test against Australia from June 22.

Twelve members of the group have featured for England before in red-ball cricket, but Filer and Gibson, alongside Alice Capsey, are now vying to earn their Test debuts.

All-rounder Gibson travelled as a reserve to the T20 World Cup in February and has had a fine season with recent half-centuries for the Storm in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.

Seamer Filer has claimed eight wickets in four Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy matches in 2023 and could feature in a warm-up fixture against Australia A at Derbyshire from Thursday.

England have also named their A-squad for a three-day warm-up game with Australia at Leicestershire from Thursday and Danni Wyatt and Alice Davidson-Richards, who are both part of the 15-player Test group, are included.

Lewis said: “We are looking forward to what promises to be an exciting Ashes series.

“We are fortunate that our talent pool is growing fast, this has enabled us to pick a nicely balanced squad.

“Dani (Gibson) is one of the form cricketers in the country, she is improving both with bat and ball and if selected in the team, offers us a dynamic cricketer who can change the momentum of the game.

“Lauren is a genuine wicket-taking threat with good pace and swing. Again, if selected in the playing 11, she offers us a point of difference in our bowling attack that could impact a Test match at any point in the game.

“Our preparations are going well and this week’s upcoming games against Australia A and Australia give us another great opportunity to rehearse for the Test match next week.

“To have two Ashes series running alongside each other is very special and we look forward to entertaining our fans and gaining some new ones along the way.”

England Test squad to face Australia: H Knight (captain), N Sciver-Brunt (vice-captain), T Beaumont, L Bell, A Capsey, K Cross, A Davidson-Richards, S Dunkley, S Ecclestone, L Filer, D Gibson, A Jones, E Lamb, I Wong, D Wyatt.

England A squad to face Australia in warm-up: L Winfield-Hill (captain), C Dean (vice-captain), M Bouchier, A Davidson-Richards, F Davies, S Glenn, K Gordon, E Gray, B Heath, E Jones, P Scholfield, G Scrivens, D Wyatt.

Connections of Shaquille can hardly wait for his big date at Royal Ascot, with the exciting three-year-old reported to be in rude health ahead of his intended appearance in the Commonwealth Cup.

Winner of three of his four juvenile starts last season, Julie Camacho’s stable star picked up where he left off with an impressive comeback victory in handicap company at Newmarket’s Guineas Festival.

The Charm Spirit colt successfully stepped up to Listed class for the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury last month and is now being readied for a tilt at Group One glory on June 23.

Camacho’s husband and assistant, Steve Brown, said: “He worked well (on Saturday morning) and you’re counting the days – the bubble wrap is on!

“He’s in good shape and we’re not changing anything. We’ll stick to his routine and he’ll have one more strong bit of work and then we’ll leave him.

“He looks good and we’re happy. It’s fantastic to think you’ve got a chance of going down there and being competitive and he’s a horse that keeps finding some improvement.

“We can dream a bit longer and see what comes.”

Coach Goran Ivanisevic believes Novak Djokovic has “a lot more” grand slam titles in him.

The Serbian broke the record he has been pursuing relentlessly with his 23rd major trophy at the French Open on Sunday, making him the most successful male player ever.

He can equal Margaret Court’s all-time record at Wimbledon, where he will be the hot favourite, and could break it at the US Open, where a first calendar Grand Slam by a man since Rod Laver in 1969 would also be on the line.

That he has reached 23 despite the problems caused by his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19, leading to him being deported from Australia last year and missing the US Open, is all the more remarkable.

“It’s incredible,” said former Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic, Djokovic’s coach since 2019.

“If I go back last year in Australia where all this s**t started and then we didn’t know what to do. And now he’s with 23 grand slams and it’s no end.

“I’m really sorry that Rafa (Nadal) is not here, but I say a long time ago before even I became member of his team that him and Rafa, they’re going to go over 22.

“I am hoping Rafa is coming back winning one more and Novak is the only player who can win the calendar Grand Slam. He was one match away two years ago, so he has a chance this year.

“It’s still a long way. But grand slams are the goal. I don’t know how many, but I think he has in his body a lot more.”

Djokovic’s two children, Stefan and Tara, watched him lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires for a third time but Djokovic shows no sign of tiring of life on the road or the demands of top-level tennis.

“Sometimes I see it and then he comes on the court and then you’ll see how much he enjoys to practise, how much he enjoys to hit winners, how much he enjoys to work on little details,” said Ivanisevic.

“Winning in front of this unbelievable crowd, unbelievable stadium. He’s keeping his body great, he’s in great shape. Thank God not too many injuries.

“So it’s fascinating to see because sometimes you think, ‘OK, now you have 23’. But he’s going to find, again, some kind of motivation to win 24, maybe 25, who knows where is the end.”

While Djokovic defeated Ruud in the final, his biggest hurdle was getting past Carlos Alcaraz – who he has surpassed again as world number one – in the semi-finals.

After two pulsating sets, 20-year-old Alcaraz was stricken by cramp, ending his hopes of landing a rare meaningful blow for the next generation against Djokovic.

It is very unlikely to be their last grand slam battle and Ivanisevic said: “I love Carlos. First of all, he’s a great kid. And he’s such a well-educated (guy), nice, always laughing, great tennis player, already won a grand slam.

“He’s going to be extremely dangerous. There are few more guys, always (Daniil) Medvedev but Carlos, I love that guy. He’s a fresh air for tennis, how he plays, how he smiles, how he’s happy, how he plays tennis on the court, the ideas, is just amazing.

“For sure he’s going to be a threat. He’s going to be a threat on grass, he’s going to be a threat on hard court, he’s going to be a threat everywhere. But, it’s always this ‘but’. He’s still young. You have Novak and you can’t ever bet against Novak.”

Fourth seed Ruud has now made three slam finals in a year having lost to Nadal at Roland Garros 12 months ago and Alcaraz in New York.

He has won only one match at Wimbledon in three attempts and last year earned headlines for saying grass was for golf.

“It was more of a joke that got taken too seriously,” he said. “I think it’s fun to play. It doesn’t suit my game very well. I feel a little uncomfortable on it.

“But it’s always so fun to come to Wimbledon. It’s maybe the most historic event that we have. So I really look forward to being back there, and this year we’re playing for points again. I’m going to try to be ready and give it my best effort.

“I have become friends. I enjoy being on the golf course and I enjoy being at Wimbledon.”

Saeed bin Suroor intends to run both Shining Blue and Ghaly in the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot on June 21.

The Godolphin trainer won the annual cavalry charge with the high-class Real World two years ago, and his two entries are both towards the head of the betting this time around.

Shining Blue bolted up off a mark of 103 at York last month, while the lightly-raced seven-year-old Ghaly has not been seen since beating King Of Conquest at Newmarket in October.

“Shining Blue won well last time and he’s come back good, he’s in good form. Ghaly worked a few days ago and he worked well, but he still has a few more bits to do. Both are in good form and we’re looking forward to running them,” said the Newmarket-based handler.

“Shining Blue is back in good condition, in good form. He’s happy and healthy so he should run well.

“We’ll see how he gets on at Ascot before we make any more plans, but maybe we can start looking at Listed races for him.”

He went on: “Ghaly has had some problems, he had a setback earlier in the year so we’ve given him time.

“He’s been back in full training for some time and it has been going good, two more pieces of work and he’ll be ready to run.

“He’s not had many races for a seven-year-old and he’s not very big but he always tries.

“I think this race should suit the both of them, this is the right trip for them and they go on any ground.”

Ten years on from his career-best Ashes summer of 2013, Ian Bell has tipped Harry Brook to prove he can be England’s latest middle-order “match-winner” against Australia.

Bell won the urn on five separate occasions as a player, peaking a decade ago when he was named man of the series during England’s 3-0 success on home soil.

He hit centuries in each of his side’s victories, with matching knocks of 109 at Lord’s and Trent Bridge followed by 113 at Chester-le-Street, and topped the scoring charts with 562 runs.

Bell moved up and down the batting order during his 118-cap career but his golden summer came at number five, the position Brook has made his own over the course of a prolific winter.

The Yorkshireman already has four hundreds from his first seven Tests – averaging 81.80 – and Bell is confident he has a game that will hold up to the heat of Ashes cricket.

“In terms of ability and talent there’s no doubt, Harry is a match-winner in his own right and he’s proved it already,” Bell told the PA news agency.

“He has a wonderful technique, which is the first and most important thing. Yes, he has an array of attacking shots and he can be very aggressive, but when you look at his movements and technical game, he is absolutely sound.

“It’s the same thing with Joe Root, who is our best player.

“If Australia are going to hit you with the likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland, you are going to need a solid technique to stand up to that – then you can add the flair shots.

“I’ve done a bit of coaching with Harry and he is someone who works extremely hard. I really think we’ve got a serious player for the next 10 to 15 years.”

Bell’s work with Brook came 18 months ago during their time together at Hobart Hurricanes in Australia’s Big Bash League.

It proved a tough trip for Brook, who scored only 44 runs in seven innings, but within months he was churning out big scores in the Pakistan Super League and on the cusp of a dominant season of county cricket that propelled him into the Test arena.

“His numbers weren’t stacking up that well at the time but I remember talking to Harry and telling him that I saw a player who wasn’t a million miles away from England,” Bell recalled.

“I knew he was closer to being a Test player than he maybe thought and that he just needed to put the numbers together.

“He went away to the PSL, did brilliantly, hit the ground running when he came back to Yorkshire and he’s never looked back.”

If Brook comes close to the impact Bell had in 2013, England would be more than satisfied. Now 41 and working as a batting coach with Derbyshire, Bell talks fondly of his series-long hot streak against the Baggy Greens.

“I look back and think myself lucky to have won five Ashes out of seven, that’s a nice record to have, but to say you’ve won the Miller-Compton medal and been player of the series is just perfect,” he said.

“It all just came together but to have scored my hundreds when we were winning games is the best part. It was a great time and a dream come true as a kid growing up watching England take on Australia.”

Colin Graves insists no allegations of racism were ever raised to him during his time as Yorkshire chairman but that regrettable words may have been said as part of dressing-room “banter”.

The club have admitted four charges issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board in relation to their handling of allegations of racism and bullying made by former player Azeem Rafiq.

One of the charges the club have admitted is a failure to address a systemic use of racist and or discriminatory language over a prolonged period.

Graves said there had been “a lot of banter” during his time at the club but that no allegations were ever mentioned to him.

Graves, Yorkshire chairman between 2012 and 2015, told Sky Sports News: “I think there have been odd occasions where words have been said that people may regret afterwards.

“I don’t think it was done on a racist, savage basis. I think there was a lot of – I know people don’t like the word banter – but I think there could have been a lot of banter in there about it, and I know people don’t like that.

“But when you play cricket and you’re part of cricket teams, and you’re in cricket dressing rooms, that’s what happened in the past.

“But the world has changed, society has changed, it’s not acceptable. I understand that, I accept it, full stop.”

On the allegations of racism, Graves – who withdrew his application to return as Yorkshire chairman last week – added: “When I was chairman of the club, when some of these allegations were made, I can tell you now, nothing was brought up within the club.

“Nothing was ever brought up on the table about any racism allegations whatsoever.”

The ECB issued a statement saying it was “disappointed” by Graves’ comments, adding: “We must never again hear of accounts like Azeem Rafiq’s, where racist slurs are used as part of normalised everyday language.

“These events, along with many issues experienced by Azeem and others during their time at Yorkshire have been upheld more than once, including during proceedings overseen by the Cricket Discipline Commission.

“We vehemently disagree that this is ‘just banter’ and believe that any debate in that regard should stop immediately. Racism isn’t banter.

“Yorkshire is of huge importance to cricket in England and Wales with a deep history and an ability to inspire and connect all cricket fans. They are currently working hard to resolve their financial and cultural challenges and the club, and its new management, have our full support.”

A sanctions hearing regarding the charges Yorkshire have admitted is scheduled for June 27.

Six former Yorkshire players were sanctioned last month over the use of racist and or discriminatory language. A seventh – former England captain Michael Vaughan – was cleared of using such language.

Aston Villa have announced that Christian Purslow is to step down from his role as chief executive after five years at the club.

Purslow joined Villa in September 2018, shortly after owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris took over at Villa Park with the club in the Championship.

Villa are now established back in the Premier League and qualified for the Europa Conference League next season.

In a statement on the club’s website, Purslow said: “It has been a total privilege to lead Villa for the last five years.

“I am proud that I leave the club in a much better position on and off the pitch than when I arrived.

“We are re-established in the Premier League, we now have a very competitive professional women’s team, we have outstanding academies for boys and girls, we have created a world-class training ground and secured planning permission for an expansion and modernisation of our wonderful stadium.

“Thank you to everyone at Villa and our supporters who have made my time here so enjoyable.”

Edens and Sawiris added: “We would like to thank Christian for his outstanding leadership of the club over the last five seasons.

“He has overseen a transformation of the club both on and off the pitch and delivered the ambitious turnaround plan he presented to us when he arrived in 2018. We are grateful for all he has done.”

Zach Mercer and Danny Care have been selected in England’s first World Cup training squad of the summer.

Number eight Mercer, who will move to Gloucester from Montpellier next season, last played Test rugby in 2018.

But Exeter back-row forward Sam Simmonds – signed by Montpellier as Mercer’s replacement – has ruled himself out of World Cup selection following discussions with England head coach Steve Borthwick.

Simmonds joins another Exeter player – wing Jack Nowell – in making that decision. Nowell is set to join reigning European champions La Rochelle.

Mercer’s stint in France, which included him winning Top 14 player-of-the-season honours, meant he was not eligible for England selection.

Harlequins scrum-half Care, meanwhile, won the last of his 87 England caps on tour in Australia a year ago.

There are also places for Bath scrum-half Ben Spencer in a 28-player group, alongside the likes of Bristol scrum-half Harry Randall, Bath flanker Ted Hill, Quins prop Joe Marler and London Irish flanker Tom Pearson.

Irish last week filed for administration following their suspension from all club competitions by the Rugby Football Union.

The RFU confirmed that neither Irish’s owner Mick Crossan nor an American consortium planning to buy the club were able to prove they had the finances to compete in the Gallagher Premiership for the 2023-24 campaign.

All four Exiles players in the squad – Pearson, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Henry Arundell and Will Joseph – wanted to be listed on the official squad press release as London Irish players.

Former Wasps lock Joe Launchbury, meanwhile, was not considered due to a minor injury.

Borthwick’s group, which assembled in Surrey on Monday, does not include players from Premiership semi-finalists Saracens, Sale, Northampton and Leicester, who are on rest periods.

Manchester City reached the pinnacle of the European game with victory in the Champions League final on Saturday, which also saw them complete the treble.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what could come next for the club.

Could this be the first of many European triumphs for City?

The club will certainly hope so. While winning the Champions League may have been a long-held ambition and the culmination of everything hitherto done in a now 15-year project under Abu Dhabi ownership, it was not a one-off target. The club have advanced considerably on and off the field and they intend to establish themselves firmly among the continent’s heavyweights. Winning every season is obviously not realistic but they want reaching the latter stages each time to become the norm.

Will Pep Guardiola carry on at the helm?

The inspirational Catalan has been the central factor in City’s success. The club identified Guardiola as the man to bring them European glory long before they even appointed him and their set-up is tailored to him. Their trust in him has paid off handsomely and they will naturally want him to stay as long as possible. There is uncertainty as Guardiola has never favoured long-term commitments. All his contract renewals at City have been relatively short. After winning the Champions League there is a feeling he could see his business as done when his current deal expires in 2025. On the other hand, he does seem firmly wedded to the City project and spoke on Saturday of not wanting the club to win one Champions League “and disappear”. City fans can expect at least a couple more campaigns from him.

Will he need to reshape the team?

With the way City have charged through the closing stages of the season to sweep up three trophies, there would seem little reason to make major changes. A specialist left-back would be desirable after Joao Cancelo left on loan in January and seems likely to move on, but that position has been a recurring problem throughout Guardiola’s tenure and has hardly hindered them. Some new signings may be necessary if the influential pair of Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva leave. Gundogan is out of contract this summer and yet to commit while Silva is apparently open to a new challenge and could go if a suitable offer arrived. City are hopeful both will stay, however. Other than that, there seem no pressing issues.

Can they maintain their standards?

It would surely be impossible for City to remain at the same level they have been this season. Last year Liverpool produced a very high standard and came within a whisker of winning the quadruple but, after their exertions took their toll, fell away this term. City will be anxious to ensure any downturn is not as dramatic. Five Premier League titles in six years, however, suggests Guardiola has a good idea how to prevent this.

There is an elephant in the room though isn’t there?

Yes. The Premier League’s Financial Fair Play investigation into City may be out of sight at times but it has not gone away. City are facing more than 100 charges for alleged rule breaches. This could loom over them for some considerable time but, with little clarity over the process or the nature of the charges, it will be business as usual in the meantime.

British cyclist Chris Froome was ruled out of the Tour de France after sustaining multiple serious injuries in a crash on this day in 2019.

The four-time Tour champion suffered a broken femur, a broken elbow and broken ribs during his reconnaissance ahead of stage four of the Criterium de Dauphine.

It was immediately feared that Froome had broken his leg and, after being taken to a nearby hospital, further injuries were confirmed as his hopes of a fifth Tour title were dashed.

Froome was eighth in the overall classification after three stages of the eight-day Criterium de Dauphine, just 24 seconds behind leader Dylan Teuns.

The Tour was only three-and-a-half weeks away, and Froome’s preparations had been built around peaking for the race as he looked to join an elite group of just four riders to have won five Tour titles.

Froome underwent surgery at a hospital in St Etienne, where he was joined by his wife Michelle and Team Ineos doctor Richard Usher.

Ineos team principal Sir Dave Brailsford said: “He had surgery to repair his femur, his hip, his elbow.

“He has got broken ribs, a little bit of internal damage as well, so he is staying in intensive care for the next couple of days and then we will go from there.”

Injury also scuppered Froome’s Tour chances in 2014, although on that occasion his hopes ended on stage five of the race itself.

Racing as defending champion, he was forced to pull out following a third crash in two days, suffering a fractured left wrist and right hand.

Froome’s absence meant that 2018 Tour winner Geraint Thomas would be Team Ineos’ leader for the Tour.

Three months later, Froome posted on social media that he was back in training on the road.

Nick Taylor has become the first Canadian to win the RBC Canadian Open since 1954 after beating Englishman Tommy Fleetwood in a thrilling playoff finish, landing a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole on Sunday.

The raucous crowd in Toronto willed the ball into the hole as Taylor hit the longest putt of his PGA Tour career, securing his third PGA Tour victory.

Taylor said after the tournament: “I’m speechless. This is for all the guys that are here. This is for my family at home.

“This is the most incredible feeling.”

As Taylor celebrated, throwing his putter into the air, his close friend and professional golfer Adam Hadwin was tackled by security as he ran onto the green to congratulate Taylor.

A strong outing for Tommy Fleetwood looked like he might land his first PGA Tour victory, but it was not to be.

“I played great today, even though I missed some chances, if you like, on those playoff holes,” Fleetwood said.

“Yeah, it was close. I just have to take the positives from it and start practicing tomorrow. I got a major next week. So can’t dwell on it too much.”

Taylor finished strong on the last day with eight birdies and two bogeys, with a crucial birdie on the 18th to send it to a playoff finish.

Fleetwood had the chance to win in regulation play on the 18th, but failed to capitalise, missing the birdie for a par.

English duo Tyrell Hatton and Aaron Rai narrowly missed out on joining Taylor and Fleetwood in the playoff, finishing one stroke short of the pair.

Joining them on 16 under par was CT Pan, while Rory McIlroy finished five strokes behind.

Andy Murray was looking forward to going home to tell his kids he triumphed at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy after they missed the end of the final due to the rain delay.

The Scot defeated Austrian Jurij Rodionov 6-3 6-2 in the men’s final, earning him a seeded position at Wimbledon next month, with the 36-year-old now eyeing a third title at his home grand slam after lifting the trophy in 2013 and 2016.

And he revealed afterwards that the heavy downpour, which caused a near three-hour mid-match delay, had meant his children missed seeing him secure his first title on home soil in seven years.

“They didn’t tell me they were coming, then obviously I won the first set and my wife decided to bring (the kids) in case I won,” Murray said.

“They arrived as the rain came and then left as they took the covers off. She messaged me saying, ‘well done, we have just got home, I can’t believe we didn’t stay’.

“So yeah it is obviously nice, I get to go home to them this evening. We are planning on driving to Nottingham tonight so hopefully go home and see them before they go to bed and hopefully get up to Nottingham tonight.”

Novak Djokovic also enjoyed a successful Sunday, moving alone at the pinnacle of men’s tennis by defeating Casper Ruud in straight sets in the French Open final to register his 23rd grand slam singles crown.

Murray was quick to congratulate the Serbian before joking he hoped the three-time Roland Garros champion would now “take his eye off the ball” in the build-up to Wimbledon.

“I’m not saying he makes it look easy but he makes it look a lot more easy than it should,” the Briton said of Djokovic.

“I am happy for him, he deserves it. When he beat me in the final of the (2016) French Open he lost motivation so maybe he can take his eye off the ball for the next few weeks heading into Wimbledon!

“But congratulations to him – it’s an incredible achievement.”

Murray, who said he was planning some “light” practice in Nottingham on Monday, showcased a powerful shot collection to dismantle Rodionov.

The Scot’s serve was a vital weapon on the day and his intricate shot selection left his opponent at times scrambling across the turf in the largely sweltering conditions.

Murray was pleased with his win, but was not resting on his laurels and said he would continue to “strive for more”.

“Winning any tournament is hard,” said the former world number one, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years including hip and abdominal issues.

“The journey of getting back to this point has been tough and I think I played some good tennis at times this week and tennis what will give me a good opportunity, especially if I serve like that against most players and I am excited about that.

“It’s taken a long time to get back to this place and a lot of work with some tough losses, but I’ve kept working and believing.”

He continued: “I didn’t know if I would be playing again, and I am fortunate to be back competing again at a high level.

“I don’t want to downplay this tournament because winning any tournament is great and winning tournaments at any level is not easy, but I still strive for more. I believe there is more in me so hopefully I can achieve that in the next few weeks.”

Earlier, Yanina Wickmayer prevented Katie Swan from securing the British number one spot after coming back from a set down to win 2-6 6-4 7-6 (1) in the women’s final.

In a courtside interview broadcast by the LTA, Swan said: “I feel like it was a high-level match all the way through.

“It was tough because as soon as I dropped my levels slightly she was all over me and I had to maintain that for as long as I could. It was so tough but it was really high level overall.

“She is in unbelievable shape, I don’t know how she can be that good after having a baby. I think it’s incredible what she’s doing.”