indiana wrote:

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We're not missing the point, we don't think that is the point ! ( if I might be so bold to speak for others as well, although it's not difficult to pick that up ). It's difficult to miss your Davis Cup eligibility point, you've made it a few times.

Oh, and I rather doubt you are in with "most people" but whatever, I know what I think.

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 You can certainly speak for me, Indy. 

Stircrazy wrote:

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Dan's stirring it again - from the Beeb's rolling sports news page:

Forthright views from Dan Evans following his Madrid Open defeat by Robin Haase.

When reminded by BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller that he was the British number four, Evans asked: "Fourth?" and when told it was behind Slovenia-born Aljaz Bedene, who became a British citizen in March 2015, he added: "Oh, so I'm third."

'I don't think he really believes he's British'

Posted at 14:38

More from Dan Evans, explaining his stance on Slovenia-born Aljaz Bedene, who was granted British citizenship in March 2015.

"It's nothing to do with Aljaz - I like him, he's not confrontational in any way but to me it doesn't sit well if you play for another country," Evans told BBC Sport after his defeat at the Madrid Open today. 

"I don't feel bad about him, but for me it's a bit baffling as to why. And now he lives in Slovenia as well - I don't think he really believes he's British either. It's just the citizenship rule, where he's lived here for five years. It's just a bit different, isn't it?"

Not sure that last bit makes complete sense!  And according to the ATP, Aljaz still lives in London.

 

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There's a rather more informative (IMHO) article than Mark Dobson's in The Grauniad by Stu Fraser in today's Times which reports that:

Bedene has lived and trained in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, since 2008 but has recently spent much of his time in his homeland with his fiancée Kimalie, a Slovenian pop singer.

It also explains the Sun/Daily Fail allusion.

Spectator wrote:

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Last time for me to comment on this ... but ...

Dan Evans' points would have more impact if they were more accurate. He has objected to a 'focus' on Mr Bedene when the LTA has actually tweeted more about Mr Evans' than Mr Bedene even during Mr Bedene's remarkable clay-court run (Dan Evans' implication that LTA tweets about himself are 'few and far between' is simply not accurate). He feels the team is deep enough - but he speaks as someone who, at the time when Mr Bedene first arrived on the scene, had what one might term a history of intermittent commitment to his career (by his own admission). And even now he has only one live win in the WG (or WG play-off), and that against Denis Shapovalov. Those of us who saw his win against Donskoy will never forget it, nor will we forget the role he and Mr Ward played in getting Britain back to the World Group. It was very important, and he's hugely valued. But I think it's hard to argue that the team wouldn't have had any benefit from the depth Mr Bedene would have added could he have played, or that the LTA were wrong to consider such potential benefit.

There's a long history of bad feeling around the LTA/Dan Evans relationship - and probably many rights and wrongs on both sides. But it's not for one player to determine how the LTA relates to another, and silence might be beneficial at this point.

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Hear, hear!  Another point people seem to forget is that the Davis Cup matches in which Aljaz represented Slovenia were all dead rubbers! 

Spectator wrote:

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Coup Droit wrote:

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indiana wrote:

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Oh Dan

Though does look as if Mr Fuller may have been stirring the pot a bit, having seemingly quite enjoyed having riled Dan on twitter on the subject before.

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Yes, that's Fuller being a bit below the belt, really.

Knowing full well that Dan often speaks without thinking, and he's just lost a match and will be feeling a bit peeved in general.

Try hard to be a more responsible and insightful journalist, Mr Fuller.

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Indeed. I am thinking less well of Mr Fuller by the day. That's just not a good thing to do. Dan Evans' response to his comment (given earlier exchange) was entirely predictable, and the whole thing does nobody any service: not Mr Bedene, not Mr Evans, and, indeed, not Mr Fuller.

As for the 'the LTA tweets about him, but not me' argument, it is, quite frankly, inaccurate - and easily disproved. I just checked tweets from after the Davis Cup to now (ie not including the Davis Cup, where Dan Evans would have had numerous mentions). In a quick survey, nine mentioned Mr Bedene; eleven or twelve (depending on how you count) Mr Evans. There may have been one or two I missed ... but the general point is clear. And that, as I say, doesn't include the Davis Cup or the build-up to it.

  

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Interesting, I was wondering what the count was too, since I hadn't noticed them giving Aljaz any more coverage than a 16-match winning streak from anyone would warrant.

Dan's not doing himself any favours (though he does have a right to take a view on the subject of nationality switches and we often say we'd like players to be more candid ...) and I can't really see why he still feels the need to make a big deal out of it, given that his own efforts over the last year or so (not to mention the ITF's ruling) should have removed any reasons for insecurity.

I do think the GB media is trying to crank this up in time for the grass court season though (knowing that they can easily get Dan to react) and it's not a very edifying sight, from [people who should know better, e.g. the BBC. The Mail (in a rare departure for Mike, who is generally one of the best tennis journalists, into more mainstream DM territory) seems to be trying to back up Dan's arguments (some arguable, some very spurious) with innuendo. For example:

1) Implying it's borderline traitorous that he might play Halle rather than Queen's. Halle is weaker & he's higher in the Alts so less likely to need a WC than for Queen's. It's a bit like AnneK getting a DA into Rosmalen 2008 & going there instead of taking an Eastbourne WC, freeing up a WC for another Brit. I remember most of us thought that was good at the time!

2) Implying that it's un-British of him to be spending more time in Slovenia because Kimalie's career is taking off there. That's about as "shocking" as me going to the US to support my wife's career path. Not to mention the fact that any Brit who intends to take the clay court season seriously is likely to spend time practising overseas because there are so few decent clay courts here and the conditions are so different here to what they would be at most clay court ATPs.