Aljaz Bedene close to Great Britain switch

Slovenian tennis player Aljaz Bedene is set to change his allegiance to Great Britain, pending the acceptance of his application for British Citizenship. It would be a welcome boost to the Great Britain Davis Cup team, as Bedene would be eligible for selection to play alongside Andy Murray.

Bedene, currently ranked at 111 in the world, has lived in England since 2008 and says he identifies as English. A caveat to the application is that it must be possible to prove that he earns a regular income, which clearly can never be guaranteed in tennis.

Bedene has a career high ranking of 71 in the world

Whilst the prize money of the headline tournaments grab the attention, the lesser known tournaments that the majority of players on the ATP tour are forced into playing are not great sources of income. Additionally, Bedene has struggled with injury through his career so far and a lay-off would limit his income.

Davis Cup for Great Britain

Whilst it doesn’t appear likely that Bedene will be granted citizenship in time for Great Britain’s interesting home tie with the USA in March, were he to become a Great Britain national is would certain provide a welcome selection for David Cup captain Leon Smith in the singles.

Currently Andy Murray is all but guaranteed to play two of the four singles rubbers. James Ward has been the preferred number two in recent fixtures, proving to be a great Davis Cup player, often out performing his ranking which is around his current career high of 101.

Great Britains greatest weakness is on clay and often when playing as the away side in the tie, the home team will opt for a clay court to give themselves the best chance. Whilst clay is Murray’s worst surface, he is still a guaranteed pick, but Bedene would most likely be second choice on the red dirt.

2015 So Far

Bedene has a career high ranking of 71 in the world and has the capabilities of a Top 100 player. He should be able to complete a full season on tour in 2015, which will allow a more accurate read on where is game is at. He began the impressively and showed signs that he could rise rapidly up the rankings.

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He won a total of 7 matches in a row at the Chennai 250 tournament, including coming through three rounds of qualifying. Notable scalps included

Feliciano Lopez

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez

and

Roberto Bautista Agut

on his way to the final, where he came unstuck against top seed Stan Wawrinka.

He then progressed through qualifying as the Australian Open, extending his promising start to the season. The main draw was unfortunate for Bedene, coming up against top seed and past champion Novak Djokovic. Ahead of the match the Slovenian reiterated his desire to become a British citizen as soon as possible.

His most recent appearance was a Challenger in Zagreb, where he won one match and he will be looking to kick on from an immensely positive start to the year. Should he earn British citizenship, the debate about whether Bedene should be selected for Great Britain will be one to follow closely.

Next: Will Stan Wawrinka be a one slam wonder?

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