Bedene defies flying ants to win back hearts
Aljaz Bedene’s announcement that he was considering switching his allegiances back to Slovenia will not go down as his most enlightened PR move in the build-up to Wimbledon, but the naturalised Briton is at least pushing in the right direction when it comes to winning over hearts this week.
With a smattering of home support at his back and a swarm of flying ants in his face, Bedene added Bosnian Damir Dzumhur to his list of SW19 conquests yesterday as he surged into the third round for the first time.
It is still only two years since Bedene became a British citizen, and he will not challenge Heather Watson and Andy Murray in the popularity ratings any time soon, but this can be considered a promising step. And who knows? With a bit of luck tomorrow, Bedene might soon find himself on Centre Court.
Even for a man who spent much of his schooldays as a competitive ski-jumper, this campaign is starting to resemble an unparalleled high. “I love ski jumping,” he said. “I did that for a while, but then coach said use my legs for tennis. He was right.”
If he does reach Centre Court, the occasion is unlikely to be as unusual as the clash with Dzumhur, which Bedene won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in little more than two hours. For as well as the horde of insects, there was the added complication that Bedene and Dzumhur are close friends. The Slovenian-born Brit had even loaned Dzumhur shorts and shirts this week. “It is never easy to play against a friend,” Bedene said. “We are good friends. We both were nervous from the beginning.” Such familiarity also leads to tension, and Bedene admitted that one of his coaching staff had gone “a bit too far” with some exuberant cheering that had riled the volatile Dzumhur.
To be fair to Bedene’s team, there was plenty to cheer as the 27-year-old showed few signs of tiredness following his epic five-set victory against Ivo Karlovic on the opening day. In that match, he had to wait a full five sets to break serve. Against Dzumhur, he broke in just the second game. That set the tone for his assured performance in the first set, albeit one that preceded a worrying dip of form in the second.
At one stage, it felt as if there were two Bedenes. There was the dominant, slick mover with the
snappy forehand who stormed through the first set, and the lifeless, heavy-footed figure who slumped through the second.
A series of rasping winners eventually wrestled him out of his stupor. From there, he was never going to let the advantage slip.