Home > Events > Tennis > Davis Cup > History

The premier international team event for men’s tennis is the Davis Cup, organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is competed by teams from different countries in a knock-out format yearly.

The Davis Cup championship started in 1900 from a challenge between Great Britain and the United States. Four members of Harvard University challenged the British to a tennis match. After their respective tennis teams agreed, Dwight F. Davis, a member of the Harvard players, created a tournament format and even ordered a sterling silver trophy with his own money, which cost about $1000.

The initial match between the United States and Britain was held in Boston, Massachusetts at the Longwood Cricket Club. The Americans won three matches which surprised the British. The following year, both the Americans and British did not compete, but in 1902 the Americans won and the next four matches after that were won by the British. The tournament got bigger by 1905 allowing competitors from Belgium, Austria, Australasia (New Zealand and Australia combined) and France.

From 1950 until 1967, Australia dominated the tournament, winning 15 times for the entire 18 years. By 1974, South Africa and India joined the Davis Cup and Sweden and Czechoslovakia the following year.

The tournament was also known as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge but was popularly known as the Davis Cup. The Women’s editions of the Davis Cup is the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly the Fed Cup).

From a challenge match between the two countries of Great Britain and the United States, the current Davis Cup begins with matches between over 150 nations. Some of the most successful countries throughout the entire Davis Cup are United States and Australia. See the list of Davis Cup winners.

---

---

Related Pages

• About the Davis Cup
• Tennis Grand Slam History
• Davis Cup List of Winners
• Davis Cup Trivia
• About the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly the Federation Cup)
• Other major tennis events
• Tennis Events Calendar
• More about the sport of tennis