Was frustrating to not be a part of Davis Cup final: Bedene

CHENNAI: As Andy Murray placed a lob on match point, fell on his back and was mobbed by delirious teammates during Britain's historic Davis Cup win in Ghent last year, the country's No 2 player Aljaz Bedene fought discomforting thoughts as the TV flickered to life with images of dizzy celebrations.
The Slovenian-born player, who has been based in Hertfordshire since 2008 and was granted British citizenship early last year, is still awaiting a decision on his Davis Cup appeal, with the hearing being adjourned till March.The revised ITF rules bars player from competing for two different countries at the Davis Cup even if they've changed their nationality. "It was frustrating. But I've got used to it now. Having to travel to Prague for the hearing which was then postponed didn't make things any easier. What matters though is that we won, with or without me. For now, I think I just need to focus on my game and we'll see what happens in March," says the world No 45 who will be seen in action at the Chennai Open which gets underway here on Monday.
It helps though that the Murray brothers have been forthcoming in their support for Bedene. "Both Andy and Jamie are great guys and it means a lot to have them backing you. There's nothing I can do to change the past. I'm hoping the ITF will understand that the rule was different then and make an exception in my case."
Interestingly, the last time Britain had two players in the men's top-100 was when Tim Henman and Canada-born Greg Rusedski were around. The decision to opt for a nationality change prompted a social media tirade against Bedene and he was left with little option but to delete his Facebook account. "It wasn't easy with some uncharitable comments coming my way but thankfully things are better now." The 26 year-old, who took to ski jumping at a young age and nurtured ambitions of practicing the sport at the professional level, is leagues ahead of his compatriots Kyle Edmund (102) and James Ward (156). Disproving suggestions of discomfiture that the gulf in rankings between them could spur, Bedene chooses optimism over cynicism, "I think they are using it as a motivation to progress as well. I feel if we are like a team it will benefit all of us."
Talks of the country of his birth, expectedly, evoke far from encouraging thoughts, at least on the tennis front. "The environment in Slovenia wasn't good and there was no support for me to progress as a player. I was really bad on hard courts or quicker surfaces since all we could play on was clay. I understand that Tennis Slovenia does not have enough funds but the manner in which I was treated wasn't too good and I'm convinced I took the right decision in moving out. If things don't improve, other Slovenian players too should look for better opportunities." The newly-minted Briton took to SW19 and won over the home crowd with a win over Radek Stepanek before going down to Viktor Troicki in the second round of the Wimbledon last year. "It was fun. Brits can really take a go at you!," says Bedene before summing up the season and his goals, "In 2014 was struggling to find the motivation after a series of injuries. But then I worked hard and played the final here last year against Stan (Wawrinka) which was a great experience. It motivated me for the following tournaments and now I'm No 45 in the world which is a huge leap for me. I'm not yet satisfied and know I can do better. This season I want to step up my game and do better than last year. Winning here would be the perfect beginning."
With the Rio dream all but over for Bedene, how tough is it going to be to watch the Olympics from the sidelines? "I have holidays planned during that time!", he quipped.