Baker, 21, was in intensive care in Florida three months ago

Britain's Jamie Baker was happy to be back playing despite being beaten 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 by Samuel Groth in round one of the Slazenger Open in Nottingham.

He was playing his first match in three months after being struck down by a potentially life-threatening condition.

"If you'd asked me when I was lying in a hospital bed if I'd be playing here I'd have laughed so just to be playing is a massive bonus," said the Scot.

Fellow Briton Alex Bogdanovic beat compatriot James Ward 6-3 6-4.

Bogdanovic said he found it difficult playing against Ward and admitted he would have to improve against Croatia's Mario Cilic, who knocked out second seed Paul-Henri Mathieu on Monday.

"James has been playing really well and when you play a Brit in the first round it's always going to be a nervous match," said the 24-year-old British number two.

"He's a good player, a young guy coming up and it's going to be tough. But I've got nothing to lose and I'll go out and try to play aggressive."

Once the disappointment goes away I think I'll realise how close I was to winning the match and that's a massive thing Jamie Baker

"I was very, very tired and for weeks after I came out of hospital I felt like I couldn't get out of bed. I wasn't able to look more than a week in advance," he said.

"Once the disappointment goes away I think I'll realise how close I was to winning the match and that's a massive thing."

Alex Slabinsky was the third Briton to be knocked out at the first round when he was defeated 6-1 7-5 by American qualifier Vince Spadea.

Top seed Radek Stepanek eased through with a convincing 6-3 6-2 first-round victory over American John Isner, while fifth seed Gilles Simon of France beat American Donald Young 6-1 6-4.

Third-seed Fernando Verdasco of Spain beat Brazilian Marcos Daniel of Brazil 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), while eighth-seeded Gael Monfils of France defeated Chris Guccione of Australia 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.

Jamie Murray and his South African partner Jeff Coetzee progressed to the second round of the doubles.

Murray was facing his former partner Eric Butorac and was made to battle for the 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 10-8 victory against the American and his team-mate Bobby Reynolds.

There was also drama in the doubles when Russian Dmitry Tursunov stormed off court midway through his and Chris Haggard's first-round match with Simone Bolelli and Andreas Seppi when they were trailing 6-4 3-1.

Tursunov is expected to receive a financial punishment for his actions, but his second round singles match with Swede Thomas Johansson, who beat qualifier Kei Nishikori after he retired, is likely to remain unaffected.

Meanwhile, last year's Wimbledon semi-finalist Richard Gasquet lost his second round match at the Den Bosch Open in Holland.

The Frenchman, who missed the French Open due to injury, was defeated 7-5 7-6 by fellow countryman Marc Gicquel.