Olympics dream could see Aljaz return to Slovenia
ALJAZ BEDENE is considering switching his allegiance back to Slovenia to try to compete in the Olympics.
The 27-year-old became a British citizen in 2015, just after rules came in barring players from representing two different nations.
Bedene and the Lawn Tennis Association have fought a two-year battle to try to overturn the ban but so success.
Speaking after a 6-4 6-0 3-6 6-1 victory over Ryan Harrison in the first round of the French Open, Bedene said: “At the moment I’m representing Great Britain, but I do want to play Olympics.
“That’s, I think, a dream for every athlete. I’ll have to see on that what can be done. I don’t know what the rules are.”
Even if Bedene did far without decide to switch back to Slovenia, he would still need to build bridges with the Slovenian tennis federation, who were unhappy with his defection.
Bedene next meets Czech Jiri Vesely, who upset 14th seed Jack Sock 7-5 7-5 6-3. That result came as no surprise to Bedene, who said: “I think Vesely can beat many good players on clay, and it’s best of five.”
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic’s partnership with Andre Agassi got off to a winning start in Paris after the defending champion eased into the second round with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory over Spain’s Marcel Granollers.
Djokovic announced last weekend that he had persuaded eight-time Grand Slam champion Agassi to coach him at Roland Garros having split from his long-time team last month.
Agassi remained largely impassive throughout the two hours and 27 minutes of the contest, although he did get a surprise during the third set when Djokovic’s former coach Boris Becker turned up in the player box.
Rafael Nadal followed Djokovic into the second round as he began his quest for a 10th French Open title with a straightforward 6-1 6-4 6-1 victory over Benoit Paire.