.: The Red Brick – Dubai College's Student Newspaper :.

The Davis Cup – what can you say about it? No matter when it is scheduled or where it’s played, there is always something that will never change with regards to the competition. It will continue to be a contradictory mix of the frustrating and rewarding, for both players and fans alike. The question is … why?

It can be frustrating, as, it can force the top tennis players to play an extra event and risk overdoing it physically yet should they fail to turn up for their nations, they risk being accused of a lack of patriotism. It is frustrating in that, it is unfairly ignored by the vast majority of people and it is also frustrating that every time the Davis Cup comes around on the calendar, especially those ties that come straight after a major, it can seem like there is an overload of tennis.

Having said that, the Davis Cup is rewarding in that it offers chances for players, who have suffered heart-breaking losses in their previous matches, to get a chance to put that loss behind them and win matches for their country. It is also rewarding as, it offers an alternative angle into the tennis world. Tennis is very different to other sports; when you’re playing a match, you’re out there by yourself. The responsibility is completely shouldered by you, you don’t have any teammates for moral support and you don’t have a coach to discuss tactics. That, however, all changes when the Davis Cup comes around. A passionate tennis fan gets to see the moral support that players receive in the form of their teammates on the sidelines. They’ve got their team captain constantly cheering and willing them on at the change of ends and, if you’re the home nation, you’ve got a boisterous, patriotic and fully partisan crown behind you. The Davis Cup is a completely different kettle of fish.

So, what is the Davis Cup? It is the premier international team event in men’s tennis. Last year, 2010, 125 nations competed in the Davis Cup making it the world’s largest annual international team competition in sport. The first ever tournament took place in 1900 which saw the USA play Great Britain which the Americans won. The concept of the Davis Cup was devised in 1899 by four members of the Harvard University tennis team who had wished to set up a match between the United States and Great Britain. The tournament was originally called the International Lawn Tennis Challenge. It is now named after Dwight Davis’s trophy.

The current Davis Cup format was first introduced back in 1981. The format consists of a 16-nation World Group which was created to allow each nation to compete for glory every year. The remaining countries were split into regional Zone Groups and within each group there was promotion and relegation to be awarded. The World Group is split up into four rounds, which occur throughout the year and each round, the 16 nations go head-to-head with the 8 winners competing in the 4 quarter finals and the 4 winners competing in the 2 semi finals and so forth. Each ‘tie’ consists of five ‘rubbers’ which are contested over three days. There is 1 doubles ‘rubber’ sandwiched between 2 singles ‘rubbers’ either side. Each nation has a team captain and it is his duty to choose the best 4 players to represent the nation. The rubbers are played in the same format that Grand Slams are played – a best of five set match with only the final set being decided by a clear two game advantage. If a nation has already achieved an unassailable 3-0 lead, then the final two rubbers are played in a best of three tiebreaks set format. The nation that has accumulated the most Davis Cup titles is the USA (winning 32 times and finishing as runners up 29 times). Closely followed behind is Australia (winning 28 times, finishing runner up 19 times.) The present Davis Cup champions are Serbia who beat France 3-2 in November 2011 to claim the title.

Some of the greatest players in Tennis history have played for their country and enjoyed immense success in the Davis Cup. This included the likes of Don Budge, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander, Boris Becker, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. Recently, the tennis world has witnessed the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin, Andy Roddick, Goran Ivanisevic and Roger Federer represent their countries with passion and drive and enjoy excellent Davis Cup careers.

While the Davis Cup is neglected by most tennis fans, it holds a very key role in every pro’s season. We’ve all seen what the euphoria of helping your nation win the Davis Cup can do for you. People often forget that Novak Djokovic’s phenomenal unbeaten winning streak began with him winning both his singles rubbers in the Davis Cup, back in November. As they say, the rest is history. Djokovic went on to achieve a phenomenal 41-match winning streak, losing to Roger Federer at the semi finals of Roland Garros, and currently boasts a record of 64-2 for the season. He is the current holder of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open grand slam titles and is having, what some regard, as one of the best seasons in tennis history! So don’t ever let anyone tell you that the Davis Cup is irrelevant and insignificant. Novak Djokovic would beg to differ.

Djokovic showing his obvious delight after winning the 2010 Davis Cup with Serbia

(I’ll be back with a preview of the Davis Cup final and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in next month’s edition!)

By: Majdie Hajjar