Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from over 150 competiting countries, making it the world's largest annual team sporting competition. It is described by the organisers as the "World Cup of Tennis", and the winners are referred to as the World Champions. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Great Britain and the United States. By 2023, 155 nations entered teams into the competition.
| Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Davis Cup | |
| Sport | Tennis |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1900 |
| Founder | Dwight F. Davis |
| No. of teams | 155 (2023) |
| Countries | ITF member nations |
| Continent | Worldwide |
| Most recent champion(s) | Italy (2nd title) |
| Most titles | United States (32 titles) |
| Official website | daviscup.com |
The most successful countries over the history of the competition are the United States (winning 32 titles and finishing as runners-up 29 times) and Australia (winning 28 titles, including six with New Zealand as Australasia, and finishing as runners-up 21 times). The current champions are Italy, who beat Australia to win their second title in 2023.
The women's equivalent of the Davis Cup is the Billie Jean King Cup, formerly known as the Federation Cup (1963–1995) and Fed Cup (1995–2020). Australia, Canada, Russia, the Czech Republic, and the United States are the only countries to have won both Davis Cup and Fed Cup titles in the same year.
The Davis Cup allowed only amateurs and national registered professional players (from 1968) to compete until 1973, five years after the start of the Open Era.
As of September 2022, Russia and Belarus are suspended due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.