Aljaz Bedene has confirmed that he will no longer represent Great Britain from 2018 onwards and instead play for his native Slovenia.
The 28-year-old has been a member of the British team since swapping his allegiance in 2015. Since then, he has reached a high of 45th in the world and won a trio of Challenger titles this year.
Bedene has made his decision in the hope that he will be able to play in future Davis Cup ties as well as the 2020 Olympic Games. Under ITF rules, he was ineligible to play for the British Davis Cup team as he represented a previous country before hand. The LTA had appealed against the ruling, but was unsuccessful. Furthermore, a player must play a certain number of Davis Cup ties in order to eligible for Olympic selection.
“I want to share with you that I have informed the ITF of my intention to represent Slovenia, my country of birth, from the 1st January 2018.” Bedene said in a statement.
“One of my main goals for my career going forward will be to play for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. I have proudly called Britain my home for the last 9 years and so many people there have made me feel welcome both in the UK and abroad.”
Suspicions of a nationality swap emerged earlier this year. On May 24th he told Slovenian news outlet RTV that he wanted to play at the Olympic Games and then later commented that his wife wanted to move back to Slovenia. Then during the French Open he later insisted that his focus is on representing Great Britain on the tour. Prior to today’s announcement.
“I am also particularly grateful for the support the LTA have shown me in that time and in fighting my case for the GB Davis Cup eligibility.” He said.
“It was a dream of mine to be able to compete for a country that has given me so much in the Davis Cup.
“At this stage in my career, I do not want to miss the opportunity to compete in the Davis Cup and the Olympics, two events that mean so much to me.”
Bedene, who is yet to reach the fourth round of a grand slam tournament, is currently ranked 49th in the world. This season he has managed to win 34 out of 52 matches played.
As a result of Bedene’s switch, there will only be two British men ranked in the top 100. Andy Murray is currently placed at 16th and Kyle Edmund is 50th.
