The first Davis Cup took place in 1900 and saw USA take on Great Britain, then playing under the name of the British Isles. It was held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston and the Americans surprised their opponents by racing into an unassailable 3-0 lead.
The idea of Davis Cup was conceived a year earlier by four members of the Harvard University tennis team, who wished to set up a match between USA and Great Britain. Once the two respective national associations had agreed, one of the four players, Dwight Davis, designed a tournament format and ordered a trophy, buying it with his own money.
The tournament was originally known as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge but soon became known as Davis Cup after Dwight Davis's trophy, which was designed by William Durgin and crafted by Rowland Rhodes.
United States Davis Cup team-32
The United States of America's Davis Cup team represents the United States in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the United States Tennis Association.
The US competed in the very first Davis Cup in 1900, when a group of Harvard University students challenged the British. They are the most successful Davis Cup team ever to compete in the Davis Cup, winning the coveted Davis Cup title on 32 separate occasions closely followed by Australia on 28.
Australian Davis Cup team-28
The Australian Davis Cup team is the second most successful team ever to compete in the Davis Cup, winning the coveted title on 28 separate occasions, second behind the United States with 32.
Australia also participated in winning the Davis Cup five times with New Zealand under the alias Australasia (1905-1914).
Great Britain Davis Cup team-10
The Great Britain Davis Cup team represents the United Kingdom in the Davis Cup tennis competition and is controlled by the Lawn Tennis Association. The United Kingdom played in the very first International Lawn Tennis Challenge. They are the third most successful in terms of championship won, with 10(tied with France) but have appeared in only two finals since 1937.
France Davis Cup team-10
The France Davis Cup team represents France in Davis Cup tennis competition and governed by the Federation Francaise de Tennis.
France is the third most successful nation, with 10 wins. Their most recent title came in 2017.
Spain Davis Cup team-6
The Spain Davis Cup team represents Spain in the Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Real Federacion Española de Tenis , presided over by Jose Luis Escanuela.
Spain has won the Davis Cup six times and finished as runner-up four times.
Spain competed in the World Group for 16 consecutive years, from 1997 to 2014, which makes it historically one of the most powerful countries in the tennis world. In 2014, Spain was relegated, dropping out of the World Group for the first time since 1996.
