The Davis Cup - The World Cup of Tennis
Treat yourself to a centre court seat at one of the world's premier events in men's tennis, the Davis Cup. Run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) this event is truly the "World Cup of Tennis". With the tournament spread over three regional zones and four weekends during the year, you'll have plenty of opportunities to make the most of Davis Cup tickets from StubHub!
The Davis Cup - How It All Started
The Davis Cup began in 1900 as a challenge between just the United Kingdom and the United States of America but 2016 saw a staggering 135 nations entering its early stages. The event was the brainchild of four Harvard University lawn tennis team members. One of them, Dwight F Davis designed the tournament's format and commissioned the sterling silver trophy out of his own pocket. Davis himself was able to lift this trophy when the USA won the first tournament held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston Massachusetts.
From 1900 to 1972 the Davis Cup was run as a challenge tournament and saw Australia dominating. It won 15 times in 18 years! Indeed, during its first 70 years, the only winners were Australia, Great Britan, the USA and France. In 1972 the Davis Cup took its present format as a knockout tournament. After political controversy dogged the 1974 final the first outside nation to win outright was when Sweden saw off Czechoslovakia in a tightly fought final in 1975.
The Davis Cup - age is no barrier
Overall, the most successful Davis Cup team is the USA, winning 32 times and lifting the runners-up trophy 29 times and following on from its early successes, Australia is close on the heels of the US with 28 wins. With eight wins in the '50s and '60s, Roy Emerson of Australia still holds the most titles while Marco de Rossi of San Marino won in 2011 at the tender age of 13 years and 319 days. Playing at the age of 66 in 2007, Vittorio Pellandia also from the tiny municipality of San Marino proved that age is no barrier if you love your sport.
Similar tennis tournaments
We love our tennis at StubHub and when you're searching out Davis Cup tickets for this exciting world-class event see which other tennis tournaments are coming up. We suggest heading to The Queen's Club in South West London for the Aegon Championships, a foretaste of Wimbledon or the Rotterdam Open held across the water in The Netherlands.
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