Barnstaple Open: Judy Murray runs rule over Fed Cup hopefuls

Great Britain's Federation Cup captain Judy Murray says the Barnstaple Open has given her the chance to assess the strength in depth of British tennis.

Heather Watson and Johanna Konta are in action in Devon, as well as lower-ranked players like Tara Moore and Naomi Broady.

"It's a really good chance for me to watch players I don't normally get the chance to see," she told BBC Spotlight.

"This is the time of year to look at some players who might be newcomers."

Murray, the mother of Wimbledon champion Andy, will wait until January to pick her team to face Hungary the following month, but with Anne Keothavong having retired there is likely to be an opportunity for some less experienced players to earn selection.

"It has been a good year [for British women's tennis]," added Murray. "A lot of the girls have improved their ranking and not just in singles but in doubles as well.

"They're on a good path and we need tournaments of this level at home for them to be able to capitalise on picking up some ranking points.

"These events are stepping stones to that top level so they're very important for those players at what I call that middle level and they're all doing pretty well.

"To have so many of them at one venue is perfect for me: it's one stop and I can watch probably seven or eight of them playing.

"I saw them a fair bit in the grass season but not so much since then but this is a great chance to talk to them and their coaching teams before we have to make a decision on who plays."