'I was abused for defecting from Slovenia to Great Britain'cc

Aljaz Bedene said he received abuse after defecting from Slovenia to represent Great Britain on the ATP World Tour.

The world number 91 won his first main-draw match on the tour under the British flag at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Morocco in April, when he reached the quarter-finals.

Bedene has never won a main-draw singles match at a grand slam, although he has not had the greatest of luck draw wise - coming up against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Novak Djokovic in two of his seven appearances at the majors.

The 25-year-old said his transition from central Europe to the UK has not been without incident.

"The people who understand the conditions in Slovenia, they support me," Bedene told the Daily Mail.

"They know if I want to fulfil my potential then it's good for me to be here. Changing the citizenship is just a personal thing.

"People in tennis, they know it is a step forward for me.

"The ones who don't understand the conditions in Slovenian tennis, they're not the happiest.

"I got a bit of abuse, but that is what happens on social media. I don't pay too much attention to it.

"I actually deleted my Facebook because of it. It helps your tennis if you stay away from the bull."

Bedene said he understands that British players might see his defection as a leap ahead in the pecking order.

"If I was in their skin and somebody comes here and takes my spot like I do now I might be a bit angry about it, but I would take it as motivation. I actually think it can be a benefit to all of us, to push each other," he said.

"[James] Ward has been around 100, he can take a step forward. They are all nice guys and I'm a nice guy as well. Once we get to play more tournaments together I am sure it will become easier to accept me."

Bedene will represent Great Britain at a grand slam for the first time, when the French Open begins in May.