Aljaz Bedene loses appeal to represent Great Britain at Davis Cup

Aljaz Bedene has lost an appeal against a decision denying him eligibility to represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup.

The 26-year-old became a British citizen in March last year but has played three Davis Cup ties for Slovenia – the country of his birth.

He therefore fell foul of a rule introduced by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) at the start of 2015 which prevented players from representing more than one country.

It was confirmed today that his latest appeal to the ITF had been unsuccessful.

"Of course I am very sad with today's result and that it has not gone the way I had hoped," Bedene said in a statement on the Lawn Tennis Association's website.

"I would like to thank all the fans, my team and the LTA for continuing to support me all the way. I will have to assess my situation now before I decide on what steps to take next."

Bedene is the British men's number two with a world ranking of 57.