The will-he, won’t he debate over Aljaz Bedene and his chances of representing Great Britain in the Davis Cup will continue into next year, after the International Tennis Federation deferred their decision on Bedene’s appeal.
However the ITF have declined to make a decision today, perhaps conscious that the upcoming final places excessive scrutiny on their decision. And that, in turn, will at least simplify the decision for the British team captain Leon Smith: he will have two contenders to choose from as back-ups for Andy Murray in the singles part of the final, and they are Kyle Edmund and James Ward.
In a statement, the LTA said it was “disappointed” at the non-decision. The statement continued “It is in everyone’s best interests given how long this process has been ongoing, that a fair hearing does take place as soon as possible, ideally before the first round of Davis Cup in March 2016. That has to be the number one priority going forward. We continue to fully support Aljaz in his bid for a successful appeal.”
Bedene, 26, was born in Slovenia and represented that country in two Davis Cup dead rubbers. However he moved to Welwyn Garden City in 2008 and received his British passport in March. His problem is that the ITF introduced a new rule at the start of the year, preventing players from representing more than one country in the competition. Bedene’s appeal rests on the fact that he submitted his citizenship papers before that rule took effect on Jan 1.
As the world No. 46, Bedene plays at a higher level than any singles player in Britain except Murray. The ITF’s non-decision today would seem to make it more likely that his case will be favourably received next year, but for the moment the Davis Cup team will have to do without him.
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