One of the most iconic tennis tournaments, the Davis Cup is hugely popular around the world. What is there in its history and structure that makes it so great? Some of the greatest tennis tournaments in the history of the sport began more than a century ago. A deep heritage associated with the competition remains one of the reasons for its fame.
The Davis Cup is one of few tournaments that are highly respected by players, as it is no longer an individual representation. Instead, it involves national teams which call up best players of the country to make it feel like a World Cup for tennis. Davis Cup history goes a long way back to 1900 when the tournament was first conceived as an event between Great Britain and the United States.
The first competition between the two nations took place in 1900. It was so successful that the need arose to have it held regularly as a proper tournament. The original tournament format was designed by one of the very first players, Dwight Davis. The American later decided to make the first trophy out of his own money. Thus, the name Davis Cup was born; the tournament was initially known as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge. William Durgin designed the trophy which was then crafted by Rowland Rhodes. ‘What is the Davis Cup?’ is a popular question and the role played by Dwight Davis in designing this competition holds the answers.
The tournament was immensely successful in its initial few years, so some other nations expressed a desire to participate. This led to the inclusion of Austria, France, Australasia (tennis Davis Cup team representing Australia and New Zealand), and Belgium to get drafted into the tournament from 1905. The fame of the tournament began to grow and it was accommodating more than 20 countries during the 1920s. Great Britain, the United States, and Australasia were the front-runners in terms of winning trophies during this period. However, it was brought to an end by the success of France in 1927.
1969 was a memorable year for the Davis Cup, as