Bedene roars back into the spotlight

ALJAZ BEDENE let out an uncharacteristic roar after fighting his way into the third round of the French Open and a meeting with Novak Djokovic. In danger of becoming the forgotten man of the British game, the national No 2 took a similarly scenic route to Andy Murray in reaching this stage of a Grand Slam for the first time. The Slovenian-born UK citizen, long based in Hertfordshire, became the first GB male player aside from Murray to make it this far at Roland Garros since Tim Henman. Having finally seen off Spanish clay-court expert and world No 43 Pablo Carreno Busta 7-6, 6-3, 4-6, 5-7, 6-2 he could barely contain his delight. ‘I’ve been fighting with myself a lot in the last few months. When the last ball goes wide or long you just release everything that’s been inside,’ he said in his usual hushed tones. ‘I hope I didn’t scream too much, but it was emotional.’ Bedene (right) has been depressed by the failure of his campaign to play Davis Cup for Great Britain, which will now require an expensive legal campaign if it is to go any further. His ranking has accordingly fallen to 66 but this was a reminder of how valuable an asset he would be in any clay court tie. Although not a big man, he stands third in the table showing who has hit the most aces in the tournament, with 36. Predictably, ahead of him are the giants John Isner and Ivo Karlovic, the latter facing Murray today in the third round. Bedene said: ‘When the serve goes well, it goes well. I served 23 aces in the match, sometimes three a game, so that helps a lot.’ He will need this and more to overcome Djokovic tomorrow, even though the feeling persists that the world No 1 is not quite at his immaculate best. Murray will need a cool head to defuse the power of Karlovic and would love a quick match against the giant Croat, whom he has beaten six times out of six. After his two epic victories against players outside the top 100, the 29-year-old Scot had only a light practice yesterday. He is somewhat relieved that the distraction caused by debate about the reasons for coach Amelie Mauresmo’s exit is behind him. ‘I felt much better after talking about it, now I can just concentrate on the tennis,’ said Murray, although defeat will fire up more speculation about an unlikely link-up with Ivan Lendl. Of his good record against big servers, Murray added: ‘I think that’s because the return has always been the best part of my game. When I play Isner or Ivo, I’ve always found ways to give myself opportunities.’ Murray’s problem is that he has already spent seven and a quarter hours on court, whereas Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have spent three hours, 47 minutes and three hours, four minutes respectively.

MARIA SHARAPOVA has been named in Russia’s tennis team for the Olympics. However, the expected ruling next week on her meldonium case is unlikely to leave her eligible to go to Rio.