British tennis found itself with a ready made second top 100 player on when Aljaz Bedene , the world No 83 , announced that he is now a UK citizen . The 25-year-old is originally from Slovenia but since 2008 has lived in Welwyn Garden City with his girlfriend Kimalie , a pop star in her native land who is a protegee of renowned record producer Jeff Wayne . Bedene attended a citizenship ceremony in Hatfield on Tuesday and posted pictures of the occasion . He will formally receive his passport within the next two weeks and start entering tournaments as a British player . Aljaz Bedene is pictured at his British citizenship ceremony in Hatfield on Tuesday morning . Bedene poses for a picture with friends and family outside the petty sessional court building in Hatfield . Aljaz Bedene was born in the Slovenian capital of Ljublana in 1989 but has made the UK his home since 2008 . The 25-year-old lives in Hertfordshire and trains at Gosling Sports Park in Welwyn Garden City with British coach James Davidson and fitness trainer Martin Skinner . Bedene 's career-high ranking was No 71 in February 2013 and he reached his first ATP tour final earlier this year when he finished runner-up at the Chennai Open in January . However , whether he can play Davis Cup for GB is a different matter , as he has three times been in the Slovenian squad , albeit never having played a 'live ' rubber . He is appealing a new rule banning players from representing two nations on the basis that his citizenship application was being processed at the time . 'Today is one of the most special days of my life , ' said Bedene . 'This has been a long process and to gain citizenship almost seven years to the day after arriving is just overwhelming . 'This is something I have wanted since the moment I stepped foot in this beautiful country and I feel honoured to be able to compete under the Union Jack on the ATP Tour . Davis Cup is another dream and one I will have to fight for with everything I have . ' Bedene is the most significant British tennis import since Greg Rusedski . A quick and agile baseliner , he has already been ranked No 71 in the world and after being held back by injuries last year ought to be heading into the top 50 before too long . He has long been managed by Stevenage-based firm Global Tennis Connections and has a British coach in James Davidson . He has actually represented Hertfordshire in the County Cup , the team being captained by tennis nut Wayne , famous for his War of the Worlds production . Bedene in action against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in Melbourne earlier this year . Bedene ( right ) with girlfriend Kimalie , who is a pop singer in her native land of Slovenia . Bedene will now slot in as British No 2 although it must be highly unlikely he could play in the Davis Cup quarter-final after Wimbledon against France , especially after James Ward 's heroics against the USA in the first round . The likes of Ward , who has been a stalwart of the Davis Cup team through thick and thin , might understandably be peeved were Bedene suddenly to walk into the team . Otherwise there should not be too much friction as Bedene , who is certainly not a product of the LTA or the British game , is not competing for wildcards or funding . Andy Murray has welcomed the news of Bedene 's switch and feels that he could be a useful addition to the Davis Cup team in future years . Murray told Sky Sports : ' I do n't know him extremely well but I know that he 's obviously playing some very good tennis right now . Bedene plays on the grass of London 's Queen 's Club at the 2013 Aegon Championships . The Great Britain Davis Cup team celebrate their victory against the USA in Glasgow earlier this month . ' I think maybe in the future it 's possible for him to be involved in the Davis Cup team but I 'm not sure exactly what the rules are . ' I know the rules change a little bit this year , that you 're not allowed to play for two countries , so I 'm not 100 per cent sure if he 's going to be eligible . 'This year we have a team that 's being doing extremely well and I would expect that this year we would stick with that team and revisit it again in the future if he becomes eligible . ' British No 4 Liam Broady - who will drop to No 5 when Bedene officially starts representing Britain on the tour - was also warm in his reaction , tweeting : 'Welcome to GB mate . '
Aljaz Andy Murray officially became a British citizen at a ceremony on Tuesday . The Slovenian born 25-year-old is currently ranked No 83 in the world . Bedene has welcomed Andy Murray 's switch in citizenship .