Last Updated: Thursday, 23 March 2006, 19:24 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/4839252.stm Bogdanovic turned down GB chance Alex Bogdanovic believes he is not ready to represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup, says captain Jeremy Bates. Britain take on Serbia & Montenegro next month, and Bates was keen to have the 21-year-old in his team alongside Andy Murray and Greg Rusedski. Bates told Five Live: "(Alex) wants to make sure he's 100% mentally prepared for the next time he plays Davis Cup. "He feels he's not quite there at the moment and I have to respect that view, but I wish him well." Rusedski told Five Live he is "amazed" at Bogdanovic's attitude. "You have to put yourself out there and deal with the pressure situations," said Rusedski. You've got to want to be there and take the pressure of performing on the big stage Alex Bogdanovic "He's got to put himself out there and I'm just disappointed he didn't accept the call. I find it quite amazing that he did do that. "I guess he's trying to focus on his tennis, but I don't think Andy or I would put ourselves in that position." Bogdanovic has had a difficult relationship with the Lawn Tennis Association, and his ￡80,000 funding was withdrawn in 2004. His form has improved recently, with three challenger titles at the start of the year, but Bogdanovic suffered a straight-sets defeat on his last Davis Cup outing against Israel last March. "I've had some good conversations with Alex and I think he feels at this moment in time he's not quite ready to play Davis Cup again," said Bates. "He made his debut four years ago against Australians and had a very good debut. He had a disappointing experience last year against Israel, which I think he's been thinking about. Bates added: "If you're the captain, the last thing you want to do is force somebody into a situation they don't want to be in. "I'm sure if I said to Alex, 'yes, you're in the team', he would come and be in the team, but you've got to want to be there and take the pressure of performing on the big stage. "I think he needs a little more time on his own to develop and get that extra bit of confidence. Our job is to help him achieve that." --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 218.167.183.187 ※ 編輯: yevvi 來自: 218.167.183.187 (03/24 18:35)