Aljaz Bedene not available for Great Britain in Davis Cup final
Tuesday 17 November 2015 15:58, UK
Aljaz Bedene will not be able to take part in Great Britain's Davis Cup final against Belgium next week, after a decision on his appeal was deferred until March.
The British No 2 is ineligible to play for his adopted country because of a change in the rules in January barring players from competing for two different nations.
Bedene had previously played three matches for his native Slovenia, all dead rubbers.
He travelled to Prague with a lawyer from the Lawn Tennis Association to present his case to the International Federation Board, and had he been successful, he could have come into contention for the final.
But instead, the 26-year-old must wait another four months to find out the verdict, a full year after he was granted a British passport.
An ITF statement read: "The International Tennis Federation announced today that the application by the Lawn Tennis Association of Great Britain for the granting of eligibility for Aljaz Bedene to play Davis Cup by BNP Paribas was adjourned until the next ITF Board of Directors to be held on 20-21 March 2016.
"The ITF has taken this decision in order to ensure that the rights of all parties are considered. As the application has yet to be decided, the ITF will not provide any further comment on the case."
GB skipper Leon Smith confirmed that - as expected - Andy Murray, Jamie Murray, James Ward, Kyle Edmund and Dominic Inglot will comprise the team to face Belgium.
Ward and Edmund look set to fight it out to be Britain's second singles player behind Andy Murray.
The Murray brothers will almost certainly be paired together in the doubles, with Inglot - a doubles specialist - included as back-up.
Smith said: "Our GB Davis Cup team is proud to be competing in the final in Ghent this year. It is an historic moment in British tennis and I'm delighted to name these five players for the tie against Belgium.
Andy has led from the front throughout this campaign, showing time and again what it means to him to pull on the GB jersey.
"Andy has led from the front throughout this campaign, showing time and again what it means to him to pull on the GB jersey. He shows determination, commitment and passion that inspires the other British players on the bench and our fantastic fans in the stands.
"The team has had some incredible results this year, and we know that off the back of defeating the three other Grand Slam nations we carry great momentum going into the final, however we will not underestimate the challenge in front of us."
The final takes place between November 27-29.
