2015 Davis Cup

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2015 Davis Cup
Details
Duration6 February – 29 November 2015
Edition104th
Champion
Winning Nation Great Britain
2014
2016

The 2015 Davis Cup was the 104th edition of the Davis Cup, a tournament between national teams in men's tennis. It was sponsored by BNP Paribas. Great Britain won their tenth title (their first since 1936), with Andy Murray defeating David Goffin of Belgium on clay in the final match held at Flanders Expo located in Ghent on 29 November 2015.

World Group[edit]

Participating teams

Argentina

Australia

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Croatia

Czech Republic

France

Germany

Great Britain

Italy

Japan

Kazakhstan

Serbia

Switzerland

United States

Seeds[edit]

  1.  France (quarterfinals)
  2.   Switzerland (first round)
  3.  Czech Republic (first round)
  4.  Serbia (quarterfinals)
  5.  Argentina (semifinals)
  6.  Italy (first round)
  7.  United States (first round)
  8.  Canada (quarterfinals)

Draw[edit]

First round
6–8 March
Quarterfinals
17–19 July
Semifinals
18–20 September
Final
27–29 November
Frankfurt, Germany (indoor hard)
1 France3
London, Great Britain (grass)
 Germany2
1 France1
Glasgow, Great Britain (indoor hard)
 Great Britain3
7 United States2
Glasgow, Great Britain (indoor hard)
 Great Britain3
 Great Britain3
Ostrava, Czech Republic (indoor hard)
 Australia2
3 Czech Republic2
Darwin, Australia (grass)
 Australia3
 Australia3
Astana, Kazakhstan (indoor hard)
 Kazakhstan2
6 Italy2
Ghent, Belgium (indoor clay)
 Kazakhstan3
 Great Britain3
Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay)
 Belgium1
 Brazil2
Buenos Aires, Argentina (indoor clay)
5 Argentina3
5 Argentina4
Kraljevo, Serbia (indoor hard)
4 Serbia1
 Croatia0
Brussels, Belgium (indoor hard)
4 Serbia5
5 Argentina2
Vancouver, Canada (indoor hard)
 Belgium3
 Japan2
Middelkerke, Belgium (clay)
8 Canada3
8 Canada0
Liège, Belgium (indoor hard)
 Belgium5
 Belgium3
2  Switzerland2

Final[edit]

Belgium and Great Britain won through to the final by winning semi-final ties against Argentina and Australia respectively.[1] This meant that Belgium would participate in their first Davis Cup final since 1904 (a 5–0 defeat against Great Britain), and Great Britain in their first since 1978.[2][3] It also marked a remarkable recovery in fortunes for Great Britain, who had been in danger of relegation to the lowest division of the Davis Cup in 2010.[3]

Belgium were drawn as the home team under the rotation policy used by the organizers.[1] They chose to play the tie on a clay surface in the Flanders Expo, an indoor arena in Ghent.[1] The Belgians opted for a clay surface in the hope of unsettling Andy Murray, the highest ranked player on either side.[4] The choice of surface led Murray to question whether he would participate in the 2015 ATP World Tour Finals, played on a hard court in the week before the Davis Cup final, due to the difficulty in transitioning between surfaces.[1][4] Murray's comments led ITF executive president Chris Kermode to state that the Tour Finals was a mandatory event.[1][4] Murray participated in the finals, but was eliminated during the group stage.[5]

On the weekend before the tie, transport systems in the capital city of Brussels were shut down by the Belgian authorities due to security concerns relating to the recent attacks in Paris.[6] The British team delayed travelling to Belgium by 24 hours due to the security concerns, with the venue being located 35 km (22 mi) from Brussels.[6]

For his squad, Belgium captain Johan Van Herck selected Kimmer Coppejans, Ruben Bemelmans, Steve Darcis and David Goffin.[7] The team was led by Goffin, ranked 16th in the world and possessing a strong record in Davis Cup singles matches.[7] Their selection was relatively straightforward, as no other Belgian players possessed significant Davis Cup experience or were ranked in the top 200.[8] Great Britain captain Leon Smith named a five-man provisional squad of Murray, his brother Jamie, James Ward, Kyle Edmund and Dominic Inglot.[9] The team was led by Andy Murray, ranked second in the world and likely to play in the doubles match with his brother.[9] Smith later reduced the squad by omitting Inglot, a specialist doubles player who would only have been used if either Murray had been injured.[10]

Smith opted to use Edmund in the opening singles instead of Ward, due to his recent success in winning an ATP Challenger Tour event held on clay (the 2015 Copa Fila).[10] This meant that Edmund made his Davis Cup debut in the final, becoming only the sixth player in tournament history to make his debut in a final.[10] Edmund made a flying start to the first singles tie, racing into a two-set lead against Goffin by hitting many forehand winners.[11] Goffin fought back to win in five sets, winning 14 of the last 15 games.[11] Murray levelled the tie by winning in straight sets against Bemelmans.[11] Smith commented that it was the score that would have been expected after the first day, with the two higher-ranked players winning their matches.[11]

With the tie standing level after the first day, Belgian captain Van Herck gambled by selecting Goffin for the doubles (alongside Darcis) instead of Bemelmans.[8] This was an attempt to win the tie by winning the doubles and the two singles matches not contested by Andy Murray.[8] Van Herck also justified his decision by saying he felt they would have a better chance to win by playing from the back of the court, instead of playing a more typical doubles match at the net.[12] The tactic appeared to work, as the Belgian pair won the second set to level the match and then took an early lead in the third.[12] Darcis weakened later in the match and his serve was broken later in the third set, won 6–3 by the Murrays.[12] After Jamie survived seven break points on his serve midway through the fourth set, the Darcis serve was broken again.[12] Andy then closed out the victory, giving Great Britain a 2–1 lead.[12]

Going into the final day, Belgium hoped that Goffin would defeat Andy Murray and force the tie into a decisive fifth rubber.[12] The teams would then have faced an open choice of the other team members for that match, with Edmund nominally scheduled to play Bemelmans.[12] Goffin had only won one game in a recent meeting with Murray, but gave him a much harder match, which ran to almost three hours.[13] Murray survived a break point at 2–2 in the first set, but then raced to a 5–2 lead.[13] Goffin survived three set points on his own serve, but Murray then clinched the set in his next service game.[13] Goffin again resisted pressure on his own serve for most of the second set, but was broken in the 11th game.[13] Murray held serve to win the second set.[13] Goffin then fought back by breaking the Murray serve early in the third set, but was then immediately broken himself.[13] Murray then raced to victory, winning the match on his second match point with a backhand lob.[13] This gave Great Britain an unassailable 3–1 lead, with the two teams opting not to play the dead fifth rubber.[13]

The win was Great Britain's first Davis Cup victory since 1936, when Fred Perry and Bunny Austin contributed to a final win against Australia.[13] Andy Murray became only the third player, after John McEnroe and Mats Wilander, to win the maximum eight singles matches in a Davis Cup tournament.[13] With his three victories in doubles matches with his brother, he also became only the fourth man to win 11 points in a tournament.[13][14]

Summary[edit]


Belgium
1
Flanders Expo, Ghent, Belgium[15]
27–29 November 2015
Clay (i)

Great Britain
3
1 2 3 4 5
1 Belgium
United Kingdom
David Goffin
Kyle Edmund
3
6
1
6
6
2
6
1
6
0
 
2 Belgium
United Kingdom
Ruben Bemelmans
Andy Murray
3
6
2
6
5
7
     
3 Belgium
United Kingdom
Steve Darcis / David Goffin
Andy Murray / Jamie Murray
4
6
6
4
3
6
2
6
   
4 Belgium
United Kingdom
David Goffin
Andy Murray
3
6
5
7
3
6
     
5 Belgium
United Kingdom
Ruben Bemelmans
Kyle Edmund
          not
played

World Group play-offs[edit]

Date: 18–20 September

The eight losing teams in the World Group, first round ties, and eight winners of the Zonal Group I final round ties competed in the World Group play-offs for spots in the 2016 World Group.

Home team Score Visiting team Location Venue Door Surface
 India 1–3  Czech Republic New Delhi R.K. Khanna Tennis Complex Outdoor Hard
  Switzerland 4–1  Netherlands Geneva Palexpo Indoor Hard
 Russia 1–4  Italy Irkutsk Baikal Arena Indoor Hard
 Uzbekistan 1–3  United States Tashkent Olympic Tennis School Outdoor Clay
 Colombia 2–3  Japan Pereira Club Campestre Outdoor Clay
 Dominican Republic 1–4  Germany Santo Domingo Centro Nacional de Tenis del Parque del Este Outdoor Hard
 Brazil 1–3  Croatia Florianópolis Costão do Santinho Outdoor Clay
 Poland 3–2  Slovakia Gdynia Gdynia Sports Arena Indoor Hard

Americas Zone[edit]

Group I[edit]

Draw[edit]

Group II[edit]

Draw[edit]

Play-offsFirst RoundSecond RoundThird Round
Caracas, Venezuela (hard)
1 Venezuela5
Bayamón, Puerto Rico (hard) Costa Rica0Caracas, Venezuela (hard)
 Costa Rica01 Venezuela3
 Puerto Rico5Humacao, Puerto Rico (hard)3 El Salvador2
3 El Salvador3
 Puerto Rico2Santiago, Chile (clay)
1 Venezuela0
Mérida, Mexico (hard)2 Chile5
 Bolivia1
Lima, Peru (clay)4 Mexico3Talcahuano, Chile (indoor clay)
 Bolivia24 Mexico0
 Peru3Santiago, Chile (clay)2 Chile5
 Peru0
2 Chile5

Group III[edit]

Date: 20–25 July

Location: Panama City, Panama (clay)

Group A

 Paraguay  Cuba  Honduras  Panama RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Paraguay 3–0 3–0 3–0 3–0 9–0 18–2 114–65 1
 Cuba 0–3 2–1 3–0 2–1 5–4 12–9 104–100 2
 Honduras 0–3 1–2 2–1 1–2 3–6 7–14 86–111 3
 Panama 0–3 0–3 1–2 0–3 1–8 5–17 92–120 4

Group B

 Guatemala  Jamaica  Bahamas  Trinidad and Tobago  Bermuda RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Guatemala 2–1 3–0 3–0 3–0 4–0 11–1 22–5 157–98 1
 Jamaica 1–2 2–1 3–0 2–1 3–1 8–4 18–9 142–120 2
 Bahamas 0–3 1–2 2–1 3–0 2–2 6–6 14–12 128–122 3
 Trinidad and Tobago 0–3 0–3 1–2 2–1 1–3 3–9 6–20 97–144 4
 Bermuda 0–3 1–2 0–3 1–2 0–4 2–10 7–21 114–154 5

7th-place play-off

5th-place play-off

Promotion play-off

 Paraguay and  Guatemala promoted to Group II in 2016.

Asia/Oceania Zone[edit]

Group I[edit]

Draw[edit]

Second-round play-offsFirst-round play-offsFirst RoundSecond Round
1 Uzbekistan
byeTashkent, Uzbekistan (clay)
bye1 Uzbekistan3
 ThailandNonthaburi, Thailand (hard) South Korea2
 South Korea3
 Thailand2
 Thailand0
 China5Auckland, New Zealand (hard)
 China1
 New Zealand4Christchurch, NZ (indoor hard)
 China New Zealand2
bye2 India3
bye
2 India

Group II[edit]

Draw[edit]

Group III[edit]

Date: 25–28 March

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (hard)

Seeds

Group A

 Malaysia  Hong Kong  Qatar  Saudi Arabia RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Malaysia 2–1 3–0 3–0 3–0 8–1 17–3 113–64 1
 Hong Kong 1–2 2–1 3–0 2–1 6–3 13–9 113–90 2
 Qatar 0–3 1–2 3–0 1–2 4–5 10–12 97–107 3
 Saudi Arabia 0–3 0–3 0–3 0–3 0–9 2–18 57–119 4

Group B

 Vietnam  Turkmenistan  Syria  Cambodia RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Vietnam 3–0 2–1 3–0 3–0 8–1 16–2 105–54 1
 Turkmenistan 0–3 2–1 2–1 2–1 4–5 8–12 84–105 2
 Syria 1–2 1–2 2–1 1–2 4–5 9–10 94–85 3
 Cambodia 0–3 1–2 1–2 0–3 2–7 5–14 65–104 4

Relegation play-off

 Qatar† and  Saudi Arabia relegated to Group IV in 2016.

† Relegation to Group IV were ultimately not enforced.

Promotion play-off

 Malaysia and  Vietnam promoted to Group II in 2016.

Group IV[edit]

Date: 27 April–2 May

Location: Isa Town, Bahrain (hard)

Seeds

Group A

 Pacific Oceania  Jordan  Bahrain  Iraq RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Pacific Oceania 2–1 3–0 2–1 3–0 7–2 15–8 122–90 1
 Jordan 1–2 2–1 2–1 2–1 5–4 13–10 114–109 2
 Bahrain 0–3 1–2 2–1 1–2 3–6 8–13 94–117 3
 Iraq 1–2 1–2 1–2 0–3 3–6 8–13 95–109 4

Group B

 Singapore  United Arab Emirates  Bangladesh  Oman  Kyrgyzstan RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Singapore 2–1 3–0 3–0 3–0 4–0 11–1 23–3 153–63 1
 United Arab Emirates 1–2 3–0 3–0 3–0 3–1 10–2 21–7 156–83 2
 Bangladesh 0–3 0–3 3–0 3–0 2–2 6–6 13–12 111–91 3
 Oman 0–3 0–3 0–3 3–0 1–3 3–9 7–18 70–125 4
 Kyrgyzstan 0–3 0–3 0–3 0–3 0–4 0–12 0–24 17–145 5

7th-place play-off

5th-place play-off

Promotion play-off

 Pacific Oceania and  Singapore promoted to Group III in 2016.

Europe/Africa Zone[edit]

Group I[edit]

Draw[edit]

Second Round Play-offsFirst Round Play-offsFirst RoundSecond Round
1 Spain
Odense, Denmark (indoor hard)Vladivostok, Russia (indoor hard)
bye
1 Spain51 Spain2
Novy Urengoy, Russia (indoor hard)
 Denmark0 Russia3
 Russia4
Slagelse, Denmark (indoor hard)
 Denmark1
 Denmark2
 Sweden3
3 Netherlands
Kitzbühel, Austria (clay)
bye
bye3 Netherlands3
Örebro, Sweden (indoor hard)
 Sweden Austria2
 Austria3
 Sweden2
Bratislava, Slovakia (indoor hard)
 Slovakia5
Tel Aviv, Israel (indoor hard)Constanța, Romania (clay)
 Slovenia0
 Slovenia2 Slovakia3
Sibiu, Romania (indoor hard)
4 Israel3 Romania2
 Romania5
Kranj, Slovenia (indoor hard)
4 Israel0
 Slovenia5
Płock, Poland (indoor hard)
 Lithuania0
 Lithuania2
Vilnius, Lithuania (indoor hard)Szczecin, Poland (indoor hard)
 Poland3
 Lithuania1 Poland3
2 Ukraine42 Ukraine1
bye
2 Ukraine

Group II[edit]

Draw[edit]

Play-offsFirst RoundSecond RoundThird Round
Mersin, Turkey (indoor hard)
1 South Africa2
Centurion, South Africa (hard)Istanbul, Turkey (hard)
 Turkey3
1 South Africa5 Turkey2
Dublin, Ireland (indoor hard)
 Ireland07 Belarus3
7 Belarus5
Viana do Castelo, Portugal (clay)
 Ireland0
7 Belarus2
Cruz Quebrada, Portugal (indoor hard)
3 Portugal3
3 Portugal4
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France (clay)Viana do Castelo, Portugal (clay)
 Morocco1
 Morocco13 Portugal4
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France (clay)
 Monaco36 Finland1
6 Finland3
 Monaco2
Harare, Zimbabwe (hard)
 Zimbabwe1
Harare, Zimbabwe (hard)Siófok, Hungary (clay)
5 Bosnia and Herzegovina4
 Zimbabwe55 Bosnia and Herzegovina2
Győr, Hungary (indoor hard)
4 Moldova0 Hungary3
 Hungary4
Sofia, Bulgaria (clay)
4 Moldova1
 Hungary3
Esch-sur-Alzette, Lux. (indoor hard)
 Bulgaria2
 Madagascar2
Liepāja, Latvia (clay)Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (clay)
8 Luxembourg3
 Madagascar28 Luxembourg0
Jūrmala, Latvia (indoor hard)
2 Latvia3 Bulgaria5
 Bulgaria4
2 Latvia1

Group III Europe[edit]

Date: 15–18 July

Location: City of San Marino, San Marino (clay)

Group A

 Cyprus  Greece  San Marino RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Cyprus 2–1 3–0 2–0 5–1 11–2 71–31 1
 Greece 1–2 3–0 1–1 4–2 8–6 65–60 2
 San Marino 0–3 0–3 0–2 0–6 1–12 31–76 3

Group B

 Estonia  Montenegro  Liechtenstein RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Estonia 3–0 3–0 2–0 6–0 12–0 72–21 1
 Montenegro 0–3 3–0 1–1 3–3 6–6 51–51 2
 Liechtenstein 0–3 0–3 0–2 0–6 0–12 23–74 3

Group C

 Norway  Macedonia  Armenia RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Norway 3–0 3–0 2–0 6–0 12–3 81–46 1
 Macedonia 0–3 3–0 1–1 3–3 9–6 73–55 2
 Armenia 0–3 0–3 0–2 0–6 0–12 19–72 3

Group D

 Georgia  Malta  Iceland  Albania RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Georgia 3–0 3–0 3–0 3–0 9–0 18–0 108–17 1
 Malta 0–3 3–0 3–0 2–1 6–3 12–8 90–74 2
 Iceland 0–3 0–3 3–0 1–2 3–6 7–12 71–94 3
 Albania 0–3 0–3 0–3 0–3 0–9 1–18 29–113 4

9th to 12th-place play-off

5th to 8th-place play-off

Promotion play-off

 Norway and  Georgia promoted to Group II in 2016.

Group III Africa[edit]

Date: 26–29 October

Location: Cairo, Egypt (clay)

Group A

 Tunisia  Namibia  Algeria  Ghana RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Tunisia 3–0 3–0 3–0 3–0 9–0 18–0 111–33 1
 Namibia 0–3 2–1 2–1 2–1 4–5 9–11 71–96 2
 Algeria 0–3 1–2 3–0 1–2 4–5 8–12 76–97 3
 Ghana 0–3 0–3 1–2 0–3 1–8 4–16 76–108 4

Group B

 Egypt  Benin  Mozambique  Libya RR W–L Matches W–L Sets W–L Games W–L Standings
 Egypt 2–1 3–0 3–0 3–0 8–1 17–2 110–37 1
 Benin 1–2 2–1 3–0 2–1 6–3 13–7 92–75 2
 Mozambique 0–3 1–2 3–0 1–2 4–5 7–11 62–78 3
 Libya 0–3 0–3 0–3 0–3 0–9 0–17 27–101 4

7th-place play-off

5th-place play-off

Promotion play-off


 Tunisia and  Egypt promoted to Group II in 2016.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Davis Cup final: Belgium to host Great Britain on clay". BBC Sport. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  2. ^ "Belgium beats Argentina, reaches Davis Cup final; U.S. clinches". ESPN. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Andy Murray puts Great Britain into first Davis Cup final since 1978". ESPN. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.</
  4. ^ a b c Fuller, Russell (21 September 2015). "Andy Murray may miss London finals for Davis Cup final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  5. ^ Newbery, Piers (20 November 2015). "Andy Murray loses to Stan Wawrinka at World Tour Finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Great Britain's Davis Cup team delay departure to Belgium". Sky Sports. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  7. ^ a b "David Goffin and Steve Darcis named in Belgium Davis Cup team". Sky Sports. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  8. ^ a b c Bowers, Chris (24 November 2015). "Who are the Belgian team standing in the way of Britain's Davis Cup dream?". Eurosport. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Davis Cup final 2015: Great Britain name five-man squad to face Belgium but over-look Aljaz Bedene". Daily Telegraph. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  10. ^ a b c Newbery, Piers (26 November 2015). "Davis Cup final: Kyle Edmund in Great Britain team for Ghent". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  11. ^ a b c d "Andy Murray levels Davis Cup final with win for Great Britain". BBC Sport. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Newbery, Piers (28 November 2015). "Andy and Jamie Murray win to put GB on verge of Davis Cup victory". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Newbery, Piers (29 November 2015). "Andy Murray wins the Davis Cup for Great Britain". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  14. ^ "Magnificent Andy Murray brings Britain's 79-year wait for Davis Cup glory to an end". Guardian. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  15. ^ "Belgium v Great Britain". daviscup.com.

External links[edit]