VERY little happens in British tennis without the approval of Andy Murray so the fact that the Scot has invited Aljaz Bedene to help him prepare for the Davis Cup final could carry added significance in the coming days.
Bedene is the British No.2 but at present, is ineligible to compete for Britain because he has played three times for Slovenia, where he was born.
But the 26-year-old, who gained his citizenship in May and who has lived in Britain for more than seven years, is optimistic that he can win an appeal, which will be heard in Prague on November 16/17.
Though the Great Britain captain Leon Smith is due to name his team to face Belgium on the same day, if Bedene is successful, it is entirely possible he could be brought into the fold.
With James Ward, Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans currently contesting the second singles spot behind Murray, it would be a brave decision to give Bedene the nod.
But Smith has already shown himself willing to make tough calls and with Murray choosing him to help hone his game on clay at Queen’s Club next week, it is the voice of the world No.2 that could yet be the most important of all.
Yesterday, Bedene showed once again exactly why he would be a valuable addition to the team as he beat seasoned Spanish professional Marcel Granollers 7-5, 7-6 to reach the second round of the Paris Masters.
The victory sets up a match against American John Isner and means he will rise to a career-high of around 45.
Bedene said he has not yet spoken to any of the current team, including Murray, about the possibility of playing in the final but said he will seek them out should he win his appeal.
“There are so many ifs,” he said. “I would probably talk to all of the other boys just to see how they feel about me joining the team for the final. It would obviously be a big thing for me, a big task as well. As I said, I wouldn’t feel comfortable just going on. I would prefer to speak to them. But there are so many ifs so we’ll see. Step by step.”
Bedene, who will accompany lawyers from the LTA to Prague to make his case to the International Tennis Federation, said just being asked to train by Murray was something to be proud of.
“Practising with Andy is always a big thing, so I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “To play with Andy on clay before the Davis Cup final, I couldn’t wish for more, although I can only practise with him at the moment. But that’s a great thing to do.”
Meanwhile, Murray, who plays doubles with fellow Scot Colin Fleming here today, will soon be reunited with his coach Amelie Mauresmo.
The former world No.1, who had her first child in August, will accompany Murray for a training block in Dubai over new year before joining him in Australia at the start of 2016.
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