Britain’s Heather Watson set to learn whether Olympic doubles push has paid off
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.
Her singles ranking has plummeted to 157 in pursuit of a spot on the Eurostar and, whatever happens with regards to qualification, she wants to start putting that right.
She won her first singles match at WTA Tour level since February at the Nottingham Open on Monday, beating American Kayla Day in three sets, and hopes for more.
“My biggest goal in the last 12 months was to play in my fourth Olympics in Paris,” she 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.”
Some good results this week and at Birmingham next week could help her cause in earning a wild card at Wimbledon.
“I’m not thinking about that,” she added. “Wild cards are a gift. I didn’t request one this week. I planned to come through qualies.
“If I need to come through qualies I am ready. I am not thinking about that any more.
“I’ve got singles, doubles, next week, the week after. I’m not thinking about that.”
