The Davis Cup Mysteries

Now that the 2017 grand slam season is over, I want to focus my attention on the Davis Cup. Unfortunately, when I think of the Davis Cup, a huge cloud rolls in overhead and I am left in the dark. For as long as I have followed tennis and heard commentators talk about the Davis Cup, it is still an illusive mystery to me. You too? Here, let me break it down for you…

Things I (think I) know about the Davis Cup:

1. It is a year long men’s tennis tournament.
2. It is played with teams which pits country against country (ex: Belgium vs. Australia).
3. Each team has a team captain. Sometimes this team captain is a formal pro player of the previous generation (Jim Courier is (was?) USA’s team captain, Leyton Hewitt is team captain for Australia).
4. It is played in different countries on different surfaces (grass, clay, hard court).
5. The atmosphere is much like a soccer game where the spectators wear face paint, costumes and show spirit for their respective country.

Things that are a mystery to me:

1. The bracket! I do not understand who plays who and when, who makes the bracket. Apparently, we are in the semifinals right now? France vs. Serbia and Australia vs. Belgium…maybe?
2. Who decides which surface you play on? Does there have to be an equal amount of play on each surface throughout the year?
3. The scoring. I know that there are some singles matches and some doubles matches, but I don’t know the ratio or even how many matches are played.
4. How often are Davis Cup matches throughout the year?
5. When are the finals?
6. What do you get if you win?
7. Why is Australia’s uniforms always yellow and green, but their flag is red, white and blue?

There are some players who really thrive within this team setting, like two of my favorites, Juan Martin Del Potro and Nick Kyrgios. I’ve been a good feline Sherlock Holmes and tried to find some clarity on the Davis Cup website because I want to follow and get excited about this. But alas, I am still in the dark.

If you have any clues that could solve the Davis Cup Mysteries, please share. I would love to know. And maybe some of the readers here will learn a little something too!

Thanks!

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