Aljaz Bedene’s upcoming second round encounter at the Queen’s Club is more than a match for him. It is also an opportunity for the British No.2 to showcase his talent on home ground.
The former Slovenian player finalised the switch of his allegiance to Great Britain in March 2015 after living in the country with his wife since 2008. Joining the British team, the 26-year-old has received a mostly positive welcome from the British team, who now treats him as one of their own. The only exception to this was a controversial tweet sent by Dan Evans in 2014, which has since been resolved.
“So a guy is becoming British who has already played for his country… Doesn’t quite sound right to me!,” Evans wrote on Twitter before deleting it.
One clear example of Bedene’s seemingly smooth transition into British tennis is the management of his Davis Cup case. Due to new rules set out by the ITF, Bedene is ineligible to play for Great Britain because he has represented another country before. Bedene is currently in a legal battle backed by British tennis as well as players such as Murray. The world No.58 has stated that he originally appealed to play in the British Davis Cup team before the new rule took effect.
“Nothing yet, I’m still waiting,” Bedene said when asked by ubitennis about the current state of his appeal.
“At the moment, I am not sure what is going on.” He added.
The legal battle isn’t the only important thing for the relatively new Brit. Another is winning over support from British spectators. He will have a prime opportunity to achieve this in his second round match at the Aegon Championships on Thursday. Bedene will play Andy Murray in the last sixteen, making it Murray’s first all-British encounter on the ATP Tour since 2006.
“I don’t see any better opportunity than on one of the biggest courts in England,” he said about showcasing his skills to the home crowd.
“I’m just going to try and play my best tennis and show myself, basically.”
This season has seen mixed fortunes for the British No.2. Besides reaching the semi-finals in Chennai and the third round at the French Open, he had to also contend with injury troubles. Earlier this year he was forced to withdraw from the Maimi Masters due to a right wrist problem. Since those woes, Bedene has entered the grass-court season injury-free.
“My fitness is great,” he positively said after his opening win at The Queen’s Club.
“I’ve got no problems at all, which is great to see. We played two hours (him and Benoit Paire) or something and I feel great.”
Guiding him at Queen’s will be new coach Nick Cavaday. Bedene will be working with Cavaday during Queen’s and Wimbledon with the hope that there can be an extension of their collaboration into the hardcourt season.
Bedene certainly has what it takes to be a popular figure with British sports fans. His level-heading perspective combined with his polite manner makes him dream person to market. The future is certainly bright for both Bedene and British tennis.
