British No 2, Aljaz Bedene, will not be allowed to represent Great
Britain in the Davis Cup, the International Tennis Federation has announced.
The Lawn
Tennis Association had appealed against a rule brought in on January 1
forbidding players from representing two nations in the competition.
Aljaz Bedene will not be allowed to represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup
Bedene gained UK citizenship in March but was born in Slovenia and
represented his former country three times in the Davis Cup between 2010 and
2012.
An ITF
statement read: 'The Committee rejected the appeals by the Lawn Tennis
Association for Aljaz Bedene and by the Belarus Tennis Association for Maxim
Dubarenco because they did not meet either the existing or former criteria of
the eligibility rule.'
The LTA
can appeal the decision of the Davis Cup Committee to the ITF Board of
Directors and it is understood they will be taking up that option.
British No 2 Aljaz Bedene has climbed to number 75 in the world rankings
Bedene's
case had been based on his passport application being submitted before the new
regulation was implemented.
The
25-year-old has been a UK resident for the past seven years, during which he
has been training at Welwyn Garden City and has climbed to number 75 in the
world rankings.
This
week's French Open was Bedene's first as a British player but he was unable to
come through a tough first round against Austria's Dominic Thiem, losing 6-3
6-4 6-7 (6/8) 6-3.
Britain
will play France in the Davis Cup quarter-finals at Queen's in July.
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