Aljaz Bedene

scottie1 · Futures level

RE: Aljaz Bedene

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

To be fair, that comment from Dan was old, from when the question of Bedene swapping to British was first mooted and when Dan was still quite highly ranked. However, such thoughts would have been better kept quiet.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

To be honest, I can just picture Dan saying that as a tongue-in-cheek remark with a big smirk across his face and zero intention of it being taken seriously. After all, he wouldn't be the first top GB tennis player to make a jokey remark and have its relevance blown out of all proportion.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Evo's coming from the Bedene chose to represent Slovenia until not that long ago camp I suspect. If Bedene had been serious about becoming British he could have started the ball rolling much earlier, even if he hadn't of played a live rubber he had every intention of representing Slovenia during those ties.

Having said all that he is now British and he's clearly a nice guy so I will support him, but not with the same verve that I do other British players.

-- Edited by philwrig on Saturday 28th of March 2015 10:22:24 PM

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

philwrig wrote:
Having said all that he is now British and he's clearly a nice guy so I will support him, but not with the same verve that I do other British players.

I'm coming from the same point of view, and I suspect most of us will initially.

I will watch him with more interest now, and make my own mind up once I've seen more.

EddietheEagle · County player

Helen40 wrote:
philwrig wrote:
Having said all that he is now British and he's clearly a nice guy so I will support him, but not with the same verve that I do other British players.
I'm coming from the same point of view, and I suspect most of us will initially.
I will watch him with more interest now, and make my own mind up once I've seen more.

What about your verve for a GB player who made public his willingness to renounce British nationality. Has that weakened too?

These things can rub both ways.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

EddietheEagle wrote:
Helen40 wrote:
philwrig wrote:
Having said all that he is now British and he's clearly a nice guy so I will support him, but not with the same verve that I do other British players.
I'm coming from the same point of view, and I suspect most of us will initially.
I will watch him with more interest now, and make my own mind up once I've seen more.
What about your verve for a GB player who made public his willingness to renounce British nationality. Has that weakened too?
These things can rub both ways.

Good point.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

EddietheEagle wrote:
Helen40 wrote:
philwrig wrote:
Having said all that he is now British and he's clearly a nice guy so I will support him, but not with the same verve that I do other British players.
I'm coming from the same point of view, and I suspect most of us will initially.
I will watch him with more interest now, and make my own mind up once I've seen more.
What about your verve for a GB player who made public his willingness to renounce British nationality. Has that weakened too?
These things can rub both ways.

Urmm, I'm obviously missing a piece in the jigsaw here. Please can you explain.

indiana · Tennis legend

I assume Andy is meant here. I'd say it's a pretty poor analogy.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

indiana wrote:
I assume Andy is meant here. I'd say it's a pretty poor analogy.

Very poor if that's the case.

Being a Celt myself, I think I'd have been torn as to who to support. Scotland would have had a much better team..

philwrig · Hall of fame

EddietheEagle wrote:
Helen40 wrote:
philwrig wrote:
Having said all that he is now British and he's clearly a nice guy so I will support him, but not with the same verve that I do other British players.
I'm coming from the same point of view, and I suspect most of us will initially.
I will watch him with more interest now, and make my own mind up once I've seen more.
What about your verve for a GB player who made public his willingness to renounce British nationality. Has that weakened too?
These things can rub both ways.

I've already forgiven him for that.

indiana · Tennis legend

My word, "forgiven him" ?! Andy did nothing that needs forgiveness for. Behave !

There is a very significant difference between taking up citizenship of a country outside your original country of birth and growing up, be it the UK, Slovenia or wherever, and supporting independence for a component part of that country, the component part you were born and bred in.

The emphasis to me then is much more about a feeling for and support for independence for Scotland in this instance rather than "his willingness to renounce British nationality".

I think Celts in general and those with Celtic blood are much more likely to understand these feelings for such as Scotland and Wales than those from England, so clearly the very much major part of the UK that England / UK are one and the same to some, clearly particularly ( but not only ) foreigners.

Many English people try to relate to these feelings, some less so.

scottie1 · Futures level

philwrig wrote:
EddietheEagle wrote:
Helen40 wrote:
philwrig wrote:
Having said all that he is now British and he's clearly a nice guy so I will support him, but not with the same verve that I do other British players.
I'm coming from the same point of view, and I suspect most of us will initially.
I will watch him with more interest now, and make my own mind up once I've seen more.
What about your verve for a GB player who made public his willingness to renounce British nationality. Has that weakened too?
These things can rub both ways.
I've already forgiven him for that.

Is that because without Andy the British Davis Cup team would NOT be in the world group. There is nothing to forgive Andy he expressed his opinion on Scottish Independence as a Scot --- Get over it! He is Scottish first British as well

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

I sensed a rather large element of tongue in cheek from Phil's comments.

EddietheEagle · County player

indiana wrote:
I assume Andy is meant here. I'd say it's a pretty poor analogy.

What's poor about the analogy, Indiana? It certainly caused a few to think.

To me it's a non-issue. The plain fact is that Bedene has become British - and in a position to assist the cause of GB tennis at some point, one hopes. We had all this when Rusedski assumed British citizenship and Chris Wilkinson responded by going AWOL. No one benefits from that attitude.

As regards being torn, think of it this way; Scotland's present pre-eminence relative to the rest of the UK would predictably have lasted five minutes had the country gone independent, with mediocrity probably following in its wake. We're definitely stronger together imo.