Bedene at the2021 French Open | |
| Country (sports) | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1989-07-18)18 July 1989 (age 36) |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Turned pro | 2008 |
| Retired | 2022 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Markus Wislsperger |
| Prize money | US$5,153,647 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 140–160 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 43 (19 February 2018) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2020) |
| French Open | 3R (2016,2020,2022) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2017,2021) |
| US Open | 3R (2019) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 21–49 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 127 (7 October 2013) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2016,2019,2020,2021) |
| French Open | 2R (2013,2020) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2013,2015,2022) |
| US Open | 1R (2015,2022) |
| Last updated on: 22 September 2022. | |
Aljaž Bedene (born 18 July 1989) is a Slovenian former professionaltennis player. He wasranked as high as No. 43 in singles by theAssociation of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he achieved in February 2018. He reached four singles finals on theATP Tour as well as the third round at three of the fourGrand Slam tournaments. He also attained his career-high ranking of No. 127 in doubles in October 2013. Between 2015 and 2017, Bedene represented Great Britain after becominga naturalised Briton before he returned to represent Slovenia in 2018.
As a junior, Bedene was ranked as high as No. 31 in the world (achieved in 2007) and won eight titles across singles and doubles. As a professional, Bedene made his top 100 debut in 2012 shortly after winning his fourth title on theATP Challenger Tour that year. He has since won a total of 21 singles titles and three doubles titles across both the Challenger Tour and theITF Men's World Tennis Tour.
Bedene represented Slovenia after turning professional in 2008. On 31 March 2015, he was granted UK citizenship and began representing Great Britain,[1] but theInternational Tennis Federation rejected his application to represent Great Britain in theDavis Cup as he had previously played three dead rubbers for Slovenia.[2][3] After his appeals failed, Bedene switched his representation back to his birth country of Slovenia for the 2018 season.[4]
Aljaž Bedene was born on 18 July 1989 inLjubljana. Bedene's father, Branko, is a dental industry worker and his mother, Darlen, works for the Ministry of Defence. Aljaž and his younger twin brother,Andraž, used to compete for Slovenia's top tennis honours and the two met regularly in competition finals. His nickname is Ali or Benke, and he speaks English, Slovenian and Croatian.
In 2008, Aljaž made the decision to pursue his tennis career in the UK because he felt it was stagnating under the limitations he encountered in Slovenia. He ended a seven-year wait to become a British citizen on 26 March 2015 and became British no. 2 behindAndy Murray.
Aljaž has lived inWelwyn Garden City since 2008 with his girlfriend, pop star Kimalie, formerly part of the Slovenian group Foxy Teens. Bedene was based at the Global Tennis Connections Academy in Gosling.[5][6]
In January 2018 Bedene began representing his birth nation of Slovenia again.
Not counting the Davis Cup competition, he competed in his first ATP tournament atErste Bank Open in Vienna, Austria. He reached the second round where he lost in three sets againstTommy Haas.
Bedene made his first ATP quarterfinal appearance at theErste Bank Open. In the quarterfinal he played against no. 2 seedJanko Tipsarević and lost after retiring in the second set.[7]
He made his top 100 debut at World No. 83 on 30 July 2012 following his fourth title at the2012 ATP China Challenger International.
Bedene made his first ATP semifinal appearance at theAircel Chennai Open defeating the no. 6 seedRobin Haase in the second round and the no. 4 seedStanislas Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal, he lost against no. 2 seed Janko Tipsarević.[8]
At theAustralian Open he played in his first Grand Slam tournament. He lost in the first round toBenjamin Becker.
On 9 May, it was announced that Bedene had applied for a British passport,[5] with legal support from theLawn Tennis Association.[9]
Starting the year in2015 Aircel Chennai Open, Bedene reached the finals by defeatingLukáš Lacko,Feliciano López,Guillermo García López, andRoberto Bautista Agut in three sets. He lost the final toStan Wawrinka in straight sets.[10]
On 26 March, Bedene, the world no 83, was granted UK citizenship. Bedene said he planned to appeal against a new rule which prevents players from representing more than one country in Davis Cup. Bedene played three dead rubbers for Slovenia in Davis Cup action in2010,2011 and2012.[1]
On 30 May, theInternational Tennis Federation announced that Bedene would not be allowed to represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup in response to theLawn Tennis Association who had appealed a rule brought on 1 January, forbidding players from representing two nations in the competition. Bedene's case had been based on his passport application being submitted before the new regulation was implemented. On 17 November, Bedene and representatives from the Lawn Tennis Association flew to Prague to appeal for the right of Bedene to play Davis Cup for Great Britain. However, the Lawn Tennis Association did not submit a 70-page summary of its support for the player until just before the meeting. The International Tennis Federation said the hearing of the appeal would be adjourned until the next board meeting on 20–21 March 2016, so it could consider the document.[11][12][13]
He made his top 50 debut on 19 October 2015.
The International Tennis Federation, which was meeting in Moldova on 20 March, considered Bedene's appeal to represent Great Britain in Davis Cup. The International Tennis Federation decided that Bedene was not eligible to represent Great Britain in Davis Cup or the Olympics. Bedene decided to consider seeking a ruling from theCourt of Arbitration for Sport.[14]
In March, he split from his coachJames Davidson, and Davis Cup captainLeon Smith supervised him at theFrench Open.[15] Bedene progressed to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time, where he was beaten byNovak Djokovic.[16]
In March, Bedene won theIrving Tennis Classic, defeatingMikhail Kukushkin in the final in three sets,[17] before going on in April to win the2017 Verrazzano Open defeatingBenoît Paire in two sets in the final and then the2017 Open Città della Disfida defeatingGastão Elias, also in two sets.[18] Also in April, Bedene reached theGazprom Hungarian Open final, where he lost toLucas Pouille in two sets.[19]
Bedene, representing Slovenia again, reached the finals of theArgentina Open in February, defeatingJiří Veselý,Albert Ramos Viñolas,Diego Schwartzman, andFederico Delbonis before losing toDominic Thiem. As a result, he reached a new career-high of World No. 43 in singles on 19 February 2018.
Bedene started his 2021 season at the first edition of theGreat Ocean Road Open. Seeded 13th, he reached the third round and lost to fourth seed and eventual champion,Jannik Sinner.[20] At theAustralian Open, he was defeated in the first round byAlexander Bublik.[21]
InMontpellier, Bedene upset fifth seed, Jannik Sinner, in the first round.[22] He was eliminated in the second round byEgor Gerasimov.[23] At theDubai Championships, he was beaten in the third round byKei Nishikori.[24] He lost in the second round of theMiami Open to 28th seed Kei Nishikori.[25]
Starting his clay-court season at theSardegna Open, Bedene made it to the quarterfinals where he fell to second seedTaylor Fritz.[26] InBelgrade, he beat rising American star,Sebastian Korda, in the first round in three sets.[27] He was defeated in the second round by third seed and eventual finalist,Aslan Karatsev, despite having match point at 6–5 in the third set.[28] At theItalian Open, he was eliminated in the final round of qualifying byHugo Dellien. However, due to the withdrawal ofCasper Ruud, Bedene received entry into the main draw as a lucky loser.[29] He was beaten in the first round byJan-Lennard Struff.[30] After Rome, he competed at theLyon Open. He upset fourth seed,David Goffin, in the second round.[31] He lost in the quarterfinals to Italian rising starLorenzo Musetti.[32] Seeded seventh at the first edition of theEmilia-Romagna Open inParma, he was defeated in the second round by Italian wildcard and eventual finalist,Marco Cecchinato.[33] Ranked 56 at theFrench Open, he lost in the second round to 10th seedDiego Schwartzman.[34]
Starting his grass-court season at theQueen's Club Championships, Bedene was defeated in the first round by AmericanFrances Tiafoe.[35] InEastbourne, he was eliminated in the first round byMárton Fucsovics in three sets.[36] Ranked 64 atWimbledon, he reached the third round for a second time in his career at this Major where he lost to seventh seed and eventual finalist,Matteo Berrettini.[37]
Seeded fifth at theCroatia Open, Bedene lost in the first round to Marco Cecchinato.[38]
At the2022 French Open he used his protected ranking after coming back from an eight-month hiatus and reached the third round for the third time in his career at this Grand Slam.[39] He lost to top seedNovak Djokovic.[40]He announced that he would retire at the end of the season after the Slovenia's Davis Cup tie to become afootball agent.[41][42][43]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
| Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | Q2 | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 0 / 9 | 1–9 |
| French Open | A | A | A | Q2 | 1R | A | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 0 / 9 | 8–9 |
| Wimbledon | A | Q2 | A | Q1 | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | NH | 3R | 1R | 0 / 9 | 6–9 |
| US Open | A | A | A | Q2 | 1R | Q3 | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | 1R | 0 / 8 | 3–8 |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 1–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 0 / 35 | 18–35 |
| ATP Masters 1000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells Masters | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | Q1 | 1R | A | A | A | NH | A | 1R | 0 / 3 | 0–3 |
| Miami Masters | A | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | Q1 | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | NH | 2R | 1R | 0 / 8 | 5–8 |
| Monte-Carlo Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | 2R | 1R | NH | A | A | 0 / 3 | 2–3 |
| Madrid Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 |
| Rome Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 3R | Q1 | Q2 | 1R | A | 0 / 4 | 3–4 |
| Canada Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 |
| Cincinnati Masters | A | A | A | A | Q1 | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | A | 0 / 1 | 2–1 |
| Shanghai Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | NH | A | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | |
| Paris Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | 0 / 2 | 1–2 |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0 / 22 | 14–22 |
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | Career | ||
| Tournaments | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 9 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 162 | |
| Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Finals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Overall win–loss | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 4–4 | 11–18 | 5–9 | 17–17 | 12–19 | 19–18 | 21–19 | 20–17 | 10–12 | 15–15 | 4–10 | 140–160 | |
| Win % | – | 100% | 33% | 50% | 38% | 36% | 50% | 39% | 51% | 52% | 53% | 53% | 50% | 29% | 46.67% | |
| Year-end ranking | 303 | 540 | 165 | 98 | 87 | 145 | 45 | 101 | 49 | 67 | 58 | 58 | 109 | |||
| Tournament | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | ... | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | SR | W–L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 4 | 0–4 | 0% | |
| French Open | 2R | A | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 6 | 2–6 | 25% | |
| Wimbledon | 1R | A | 1R | A | A | NH | A | 1R | 0 / 3 | 0–3 | 0% | |
| US Open | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | |
| Win–loss | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0 / 14 | 2–14 | 13% | |
|
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jan 2015 | Chennai Open, India | 250 Series | Hard | 4–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 0–2 | Apr 2017 | Hungarian Open, Hungary | 250 Series | Clay | 3–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | 0–3 | Feb 2018 | Argentina Open, Argentina | 250 Series | Clay | 2–6, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 0–4 | Sep 2019 | Moselle Open, France | 250 Series | Hard (i) | 7–6(7–4), 6–7(4–7), 3–6 |
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jun 2009 | Slovenia F2,Maribor | Futures | Clay | 7–5, 3–6, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 0–2 | Jul 2009 | Austria F5,Telfs | Futures | Clay | 3–6, 6–7(2–7) | |
| Win | 1–2 | Jul 2009 | Slovakia F2,Piešťany | Futures | Clay | 6–0, 2–0 ret. | |
| Win | 2–2 | Aug 2009 | Austria F7,St Poelten | Futures | Clay | 6–4, 6–0 ret. | |
| Win | 3–2 | Sep 2009 | Austria F9,Wels | Futures | Clay | 6–1, 6–2 | |
| Win | 4–2 | Oct 2009 | Croatia F9,Dubrovnik | Futures | Clay | 6–2, 7–6(13-11) | |
| Win | 5–2 | Nov 2009 | Turkey F13,Antalya | Futures | Clay | 6–2, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 5–3 | May 2010 | Bosnia and Herzegovina F3,Doboj | Futures | Clay | 7–5, 2–6, 6–7(4–7) | |
| Win | 6–3 | Mar 2011 | Barletta, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 7–5, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 6–4 | Oct 2011 | Croatia F12,Solin | Futures | Clay | 6–3, 4–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 7–4 | Feb 2012 | Casablanca, Morocco | Challenger | Clay | 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–4) | |
| Win | 8–4 | Apr 2012 | Barletta, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 6–2, 6–0 | |
| Win | 9–4 | Jun 2012 | Košice, Slovakia | Challenger | Clay | 7–6(7–1), 6–2 | |
| Loss | 9–5 | Jul 2012 | Anning, China | Challenger | Clay | 6–1, 5–7, 3–6 | |
| Win | 10–5 | Jul 2012 | Wuhan, China | Challenger | Hard | 6–3, 4–6, 6–3 | |
| Win | 11–5 | May 2013 | Rome, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 6–4, 6–2 | |
| Win | 12–5 | Sep 2013 | Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina | Challenger | Clay | 6–3, 6-4 | |
| Win | 13–5 | Jun 2014 | Todi, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 2–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–4 | |
| Win | 14–5 | Mar 2015 | Irving, United States | Challenger | Hard | 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–3 | |
| Win | 15–5 | May 2015 | Rome, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 7–5, 6-2 | |
| Win | 16–5 | Jul 2015 | Todi, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 7–6(7–3), 6–4 | |
| Loss | 16–6 | Mar 2016 | Irving, United States | Challenger | Hard | 1–6, 1-6 | |
| Win | 17–6 | Mar 2017 | Irving, United States | Challenger | Hard | 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 | |
| Win | 18–6 | Apr 2017 | Sophia Antipolis, France | Challenger | Clay | 6–2, 6-2 | |
| Win | 19–6 | Apr 2017 | Barletta, Italy | Challenger | Clay | 7–6(7–4), 6–3 | |
| Win | 20–6 | Sep 2018 | Orléans, France | Challenger | Hard | 4–6, 6–1, 7–6(8–6) | |
| Win | 21–6 | Aug 2019 | Portorož, Slovenia | Challenger | Hard | 7–5, 6-3 |
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jan 2009 | Austria F3 | Futures | Carpet | 6–3, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 2–0 | Aug 2009 | Austria F7 | Futures | Clay | 6–4, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 3–0 | Sep 2011 | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Challenger | Clay | 6–3, 6–7(10–12), [12–10] | ||
| Loss | 3–1 | May 2012 | Bosnia and Herzegovina F2 | Futures | Clay | 3–6, 6–7(4–7) | ||
| Loss | 3–2 | May 2012 | Slovenia F1 | Futures | Clay | Walkover | ||
| Loss | 3–3 | Jul 2013 | Portorož, Slovenis | Challenger | Hard | 3–6, 6–1, [6–10] | ||
| Loss | 3–4 | Sep 2013 | Trnava, Slovakia | Challenger | Clay | 5–7, 6–4, [6–10] |
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | ABR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | |||||||
| 1. | 7 | Rome Masters, Italy | Clay | 2R | 6–4, ret. | 65 | |
| 2020 | |||||||
| 2. | 6 | Rotterdam Open, Netherlands | Hard (i) | 2R | 7–5, 6–4 | 52 | |
| Edition | Round | Date | Against | Surface | Opponent | Win/Loss | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 03-07-2010 | Hard (I) | Win | 6–3, 6–2 | ||
| 2011 Europe/Africa Zone Group I | 2R | 07-10-2011 | Clay | Loss | 2–6, 2–2, ret. | ||
| 2012 Europe/Africa Zone Group I | 1R | 02-12-2012 | Hard (I) | Win | 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 | ||
| 2018 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 03-02-2018 | Hard (I) | Win | 6–3, 6–4 | ||
| 04-02-2018 | Win | 6–4, 7–5 | |||||
| PO | 07-04-2018 | Clay | Win | 6–4, 6–2 | |||
| 08-04-2018 | Win | 7–6(7–4), 6–2 | |||||
| 2019 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 13-09-2019 | Clay | Win | 7–5, 4–1, ret. | ||
| 14-09-2019 | Win | 7–5, 7–5 | |||||
| 2022 Davis Cup World Group II | PO | 16-09-2022 | Clay | Win | 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–4 |
| Edition | Round | Date | Against | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Win/Loss | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 04-02-2018 | Hard (I) | Loss | 7–5, 6–7(5–7), 4–6 | |||
| PO | 08-04-2018 | Clay | Loss | 3–6, 6–3, 3–6 | ||||
| 2019 Europe/Africa Zone Group II | 1R | 14-09-2019 | Clay | Win | 7–5, 6–3 | |||
| 2022 Davis Cup World Group II | PO | 18-09-2022 | Clay | Win | 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |