Bedene hints at return to the Slovenian flag after beating 'tanking' opponent in Paris

Great Britain found a winner at the French Open, but any patriotic delight was undermined when the player in question – Ljubljana-born Aljaz Bedene – hinted that he was considering a switch back to the Slovenian flag.

“At the moment I’m representing Great Britain,” the 27 year-old said after his 6-4, 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 victory over the up-and-coming American Ryan Harrison. “But I do want to play Olympic Games. I think that’s a dream for every athlete. I’ll have to see on that what can be done. I’ve got maybe five more years on the tour and I want to use them well.”

Bedene earned his British passport in 2015, after seven years in which he had used Welwyn Garden City as his base. His problem is that he cannot participate in the 2020 Olympics without making himself available for the Davis Cup – a competition in which he has been barred from representing Great Britain.

Just to take part in Tokyo, Bedene would need to return to his native land, where he previously played two dead rubbers for the Slovenian Davis Cup team. Not that there is any guarantee that he would be picked, as the Slovenian Tennis Federation considered his defection an outrage, and constantly lobbied the International Tennis Federation to make sure he was not ruled eligible for Great Britain.

Whether or not his Olympic pipe dream should come to pass, Bedene’s comment will be highly embarrassing for the Lawn Tennis Association. It has sunk funds into his legal costs – not only drawing up his original application for a British passport, but also his failed applications to win eligibility for the British Davis Cup team.

And then you can factor in the other benefits: court time at the National Tennis Centre, coaching support from the performance department and the offer of wild cards into grass-court events. During Monday's match, Bedene was supported by a plethora of LTA officials including performance director Simon Timson, Davis Cup captain Leon Smith, head of women’s tennis Iain Bates, and coaching guru Louis Cayer.

The sense of communal spirit, also evident in the presence of Kyle Edmund’s parents and support staff, is unlikely to survive the new state of confusion over Bedene’s allegiance. He may come to regret his comment, especially as he already had a few outspoken opponents within the fold, including British No 3 Dan Evans.

“I don’t think he really believes he is British,” said Evans in a lengthy diatribe last month. “I think he has been promoted a lot by the LTA. I couldn’t care about people tweeting about me winning tennis matches but they are tweeting him non-stop. He can’t play Davis Cup and it looks like we are desperate for an extra player, which I don’t think is right.”

Ironically, Bedene has been enjoying a strong series of results over the past two months, winning 20 out of 23 matches since switching to his beloved clay. Of the entire British contingent in Paris – which includes four men and Johanna Konta – he is the only one with any form on the surface.

Still, there have been signs of late that Bedene is becoming less connected to the British tennis scene. He has attributed his excellent recent results to the decision to skip the final weeks of the 2016 season, and go straight into an intensive three-month training block in Slovenia. Although he still keeps a house in Welwyn, it is understood to be rented out for the moment.

“At the moment, for the clay season I spent quite a lot of time in Slovenia,” said Bedene. “My fiancée [the Slovenian pop star Kimalie] said she wants to move back. She wants to have her career there. I’m travelling a lot, so it’s not easy. But I do want to spend as much time as I can with her.”

In another move that is expected to put LTA noses out of joint, Bedene is expected to take a wild card next month into Halle in Germany. Clearly, the authorities would have preferred to see him play the simultaneous Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club in west London. Bedene justified his decision by alluding to the bottom line. “It’s purely business,” he said. “My coach said it would probably be better to play that. And the field is really strong in Queen’s, all great players there.”

Asked whether he actually felt British, Bedene replied: “I have always been known as Slovenian-born, but I still feel Slovenian and British. I love Britain. I have spent quite a lot of time there. I can’t wait for the grass season to start, although I’m not playing Queen’s.”

How long will this delicate arrangement last? Bedene should have 18 months to finalise his decision, as the timetable for earning an Olympic slot would realistically require him to play in (or, at least, make himself available for) Slovenia’s Davis Cup campaign in 2019. But now, after Monday's revelation rattled a few cages, there must be a chance that he switches flags sooner rather than later.