Current season, competition or edition: 2022 Davis Cup | |
 | |
| Sport | Tennis |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1900 |
| Founder | Dwight F. Davis |
| No. of teams | 16 (World Group) 135 (2021 total) |
| Countries | ITF member nations |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Italy |
| Most titles |  United States(32 titles) |
| Official website | daviscup.com |
The Davis Cup is an annual international team event in men's tennis. Established in 1900 as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge, it is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), who describe it as the "World Cup of tennis."[1] The first event in 1900 was a match between Great Britain and the United States,[2] while 135 nations entered the 2016 Davis Cup.[3]
The tournament sees players competing for their country in four singles and one doubles matches, known as rubbers, over the course of three days, with the team that wins three rubbers progressing.[4] The countries are divided into groups based upon their location or performance in previous years. The Davis Cup World Group is the top level of the competition and features matches between players from the top 16 countries at the start of the year.[3] Countries that lose their first round match face a relegation play-off against winning countries from the continental zones. World Group winning countries progress to the quarter-finals. Nations have to win a further three ties in order to claim the position of Davis Cup champions.[3]The United States are the most successful nation in the history of the competition, with 32 victories. Australia are second with 28 (individually or in a combined Australasia team) and Great Britain and France are tied for third with 10. Teams from Europe have won the competition the most with 48 victories, followed by North America with 33 and Oceania with 28.[5]
- ^ "Davis Cup History". Davis Cup. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ "What a racquet: Britain's Davis Cup history". BBC. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ a b c "Davis Cup format". Davis Cup. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ "Davis Cup Explained". Lawn Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ^ Newberry, Piers (29 November 2015). "Andy Murray wins the Davis Cup for Great Britain". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2016.