Davis Cup

From Free net encyclopedia

The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. The largest annual team competition in sport, the Davis Cup is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. In 2005 134 nations entered teams into the competition.

Countries aspire to compete in the elite World Group of 16 nations which comprises four rounds of competition spread over four weekends during the year. Each World Group 'tie' between two competing nations consists of 5 matches (known as 'rubbers') carried out over the course of three days, usually Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On the Friday, the first two matches are singles, generally between the two best available players of each country. A doubles match is played on the second day. On the third day, the final two matches are typically reverse singles in which the first-day contestants traditionally play again, but swap opponents from the first day's singles matches. If the tie has already been decided in favour of one of the teams, it is common for younger lower-ranked team members to play the remaining 'dead-rubbers' in order for them to gain Davis Cup experience.

Image:Davis Cup.PNG

The captain of each nation is able to nominate a squad of four players for each tie and he decides which of these players will compete in the first three rubbers. On the Thursday before play starts schedule of play is randomly drawn to decide the pairings of the nominated singles players in the first two rubbers. In the past, teams could only substitute final day singles players when the result of the tie had already been determined, but nowadays the rules allow teams to select any playing team member to play the last two singles matches provided that first day matchups are not repeated. There is no restriction on which of the playing team members plays the doubles match: the two singles players, two other players (usually doubles specialists) or a combination.

All rubbers are normally best-of-5 sets. If a team has clinched the rubber before all 5 matches are played, any remaining reverse singles matches are shortened to best-of-3 sets.

The women's equivalent of the Davis Cup is the Fed Cup (known as the Federation Cup before 1995).

1 History
2 Davis Cup winners
3 Recent finals
4 2006 World Group
5 See also
6 External link

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History

The tournament was conceived in 1899 by four members of the Harvard University tennis team who came up with the idea of challenging the British to a tennis showdown. Once the idea received the go ahead from the respective lawn tennis associations, one of the four Harvard players, Dwight F. Davis, designed a tournament format and spent the money from his own pocket to purchase an appropriate sterling silver trophy. The first match, between the United States and Great Britain was held in Boston, Massachusetts in 1900. The American team, of which Dwight Davis was a part, surprised the British by winning the first three matches. The following year the two countries did not compete but the US won the next match in 1902. By 1905 the tournament expanded to include Belgium, Austria, France, and Australasia, a combined team from Australia and New Zealand that competed together until 1913. The tournament was initially known as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge. It was renamed the Davis Cup following the death of Dwight Davis in 1945. (Dwight Davis became a prominent politician in the United States in the 1920s, serving as Secretary of War from 1925-29 and as Governor General of the Philippines from 1929-32.)

From 1950 to 1967, Australia dominated the competition, winning the Cup 15 times in 18 years.

Since inception, the U.S.A. has won the event the most times (31), followed by Australia (23 [28 including Australasia]), France and Great Britain (9 each)[Includes British Isles 5], Sweden (7), and Australasia (5).

Up to 1973, the Davis Cup had only ever been won by the U.S.A., Great Britain, France and Australia/Australasia. Their domination was broken in 1974, when South Africa and India qualified for the final. However India refused to play in the final that year in protest against the South African government's apartheid policies, thus handing South Africa a walk-over victory. Since then, several other countries have gone on to capture the trophy.

On the 100th anniversary of the tournament's founding, 129 nations competed for the Davis Cup.

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Davis Cup winners

2005 - Template:Flagicon Croatia wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Slovakia
2004 - Template:Flagicon Spain wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
2003 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-1 over Template:Flagicon Spain
2002 - Template:Flagicon Russia wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon France
2001 - Template:Flagicon France wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Australia
2000 - Template:Flagicon Spain wins 3-1 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1999 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon France
1998 - Template:Flagicon Sweden wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Italy
1997 - Template:Flagicon Sweden wins 5-0 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1996 - Template:Flagicon France wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Sweden
1995 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Russia
1994 - Template:Flagicon Sweden wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Russia
1993 - Template:Flagicon Germany wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1992 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-1 over Template:Flagicon Switzerland
1991 - Template:Flagicon France wins 3-1 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1990 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1989 - Template:Flagicon West Germany wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Sweden
1988 - Template:Flagicon West Germany wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Sweden
1987 - Template:Flagicon Sweden wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon India
1986 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Sweden
1985 - Template:Flagicon Sweden wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon West Germany
1984 - Template:Flagicon Sweden wins 4-1 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1983 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Sweden
1982 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon France
1981 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-1 over Template:Flagicon Argentina
1980 - Template:Flagicon Czechoslovakia wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Italy
1979 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon Italy
1978 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Great Britain
1977 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-1 over Template:Flagicon Italy
1976 - Template:Flagicon Italy wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Chile
1975 - Template:Flagicon Sweden wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Czechoslovakia
1974 - Template:Flagicon South Africa wins over Template:Flagicon India (walkover)
1973 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 5-0 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1972 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Romania
1971 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Romania
1970 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon West Germany
1969 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon Romania
1968 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1967 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Spain
1966 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon India
1965 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Spain
1964 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1963 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1962 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon Mexico
1961 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon Italy
1960 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Italy
1959 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1958 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1957 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1956 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 5-0 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1955 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 5-0 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1954 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1953 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1952 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 4-1 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1951 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1950 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon United States
1949 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1948 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1947 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1946 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1940 to 1945 - no tournament due to World War II
1939 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1938 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1937 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Great Britain
1936 - Template:Flagicon Great Britain wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1935 - Template:Flagicon Great Britain wins 5-0 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1934 - Template:Flagicon Great Britain wins 4-1 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1933 - Template:Flagicon Great Britain wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon France
1932 - Template:Flagicon France wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1931 - Template:Flagicon France wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Great Britain
1930 - Template:Flagicon France wins 4-1 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1929 - Template:Flagicon France wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1928 - Template:Flagicon France wins 4-1 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1927 - Template:Flagicon France wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1926 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon France
1925 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon France
1924 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1923 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1922 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1921 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon Japan
1920 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon Australia
1919 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 4-1 over Template:Flagicon Great Britain
1915 to 1918 - no tournament due to World War I
1914 - Template:Flagicon Australia wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1913 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Great Britain
1912 - Template:Flagicon Great Britain wins 3-2 over Image:Australasian Olympic Flag.svg Australasia
1911 - Image:Australasian Olympic Flag.svg Australasia wins 5-0 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1910 - no tournament
1909 - Image:Australasian Olympic Flag.svg Australasia wins 5-0 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1908 - Image:Australasian Olympic Flag.svg Australasia wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1907 - Image:Australasian Olympic Flag.svg Australasia wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Great Britain
1906 - Template:Flagicon Great Britain wins 5-0 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1905 - Template:Flagicon Great Britain wins 5-0 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1904 - Template:Flagicon Great Britain wins 5-0 over Template:Flagicon Belgium
1903 - Template:Flagicon Great Britain wins 4-1 over the Template:Flagicon United States
1902 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Great Britain
1901 - no tournament
1900 - Template:Flagicon United States wins 3-0 over Template:Flagicon Great Britain

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Recent finals

2005 - Template:Flagicon Croatia wins 3-2 over Template:Flagicon Slovakia
- Ivan Ljubičić (CRO) def. Karol Kučera (SVK), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
- Dominik Hrbatý (SVK) def. Mario Ančić (CRO), 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4
- Mario Ančić/Ivan Ljubičić (CRO) def. Dominik Hrbatý/Michal Mertinak (SVK), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (5)
- Dominik Hrbatý (SVK) def. Ivan Ljubičić (CRO), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
- Mario Ančić (CRO) def. Michal Mertinak (SVK), 7-6 (1), 6-3, 6-4

2004 - Template:Flagicon Spain wins 3-2 over the Template:Flagicon United States
- Carlos Moyà (ESP) def. Mardy Fish (USA) 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
- Rafael Nadal (ESP) def. Andy Roddick (USA) 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-6 (6), 6-2
- Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) def. Juan Carlos Ferrero/Tommy Robredo (ESP) 6-0, 6-3, 6-2
- Carlos Moyà (ESP) def. Andy Roddick (USA) 6-2, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5)
- Mardy Fish (USA) def. Tommy Robredo (ESP) 7-6 (8), 6-2

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2006 World Group

2006 World Group Teams
Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina	Image:Flag of Australia.svg Australia	Image:Flag of Austria.svg Austria	Image:Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus
Image:Flag of Chile.svg Chile	Image:Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia	Image:Flag of France.svg France	Image:Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands	Image:Flag of Romania.svg Romania	Image:Flag of Russia.svg Russia	Image:Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia
Image:Flag of Spain.svg Spain	Image:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden	Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Switzerland	Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States