Saturday 30 May 2015 20:38, UK
Aljaz Bedene has been informed he will not be allowed to represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup.
Bedene became a British citizen in March 2015, but previously represented Slovenia in the men's team competition between 2010 and 2012.
He is the victim of a new rule, brought in in January, which forbids a player from representing two nations in the Davis Cup.
The Lawn Tennis Association appealed against that rule, as did Belarus who wanted to select former Moldova player Maxim Dubarenco.
But a statement from the International Tennis Federation read: "The Committee rejected the appeals by the Lawn Tennis Association for Aljaz Bedene and by the Belarus Tennis Association for Maxim Dubarenco because they did not meet either the existing or former criteria of the eligibility rule."
The LTA can appeal the decision of the Davis Cup Committee to the ITF Board of Directors.
Bedene's case had been based on his passport application being submitted before the new regulation was implemented.
The 25-year-old has been a UK resident for the past seven years, during which he has been training at Welwyn Garden City and has climbed to No 75 in the world rankings.
This week's French Open was Bedene's first as a British player but he was unable to come through a tough first round against Austria's Dominic Thiem, losing in four sets.
Britain will play France in the Davis Cup quarter-finals at Queen's Club in London in July.
