History of Fedcups

History of the Fed Cup

The concept of an international team competition for women dates from 1919 and is credited to Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman. When her idea was rejected, she went her own way, presenting a trophy for an annual competition between the United States and Great Britain (the Wightman Cup),

Nell Hopman, wife of legendary Australian Davis Cup captain, Harry Hopman, also supported the idea but it was not until 1962, when Mary Hardwick Hare, a British resident of the United States, presented a dossier of overwhelming support, that the International Tennis Federation decided to launch the Federation Cup in 1963, to celebrate the organisation’s 50th anniversary.

Sixteen nations contested the inaugural competition at Queen’s Club in London, which was won by USA. This number grew steadily and, with the advent of sponsorship, entries soared to over 50, prompting the creation of regional qualifying events from 1992 onwards. This is the 11th consecutive year that over 75 nations have participated, making Fed Cup the largest annual women’s international team competition in sport.

As the competition has evolved, the Fed Cup has become one of the most important events in international tennis. The competition has been blessed by the participation of the top players, sold out stadiums, worldwide television audiences and intense media interest. Adopting the format of Davis Cup in 1995, women players now have the opportunity to compete for their country in their country with all World Group ties contested over five rubbers on a home-and-away basis over three weekends.

2006 Fed Cup consists of an eight-nation World Group and an eight-nation World Group II with play-offs to determine promotion and relegation between the two. All other nations compete in Regional Qualifying events with those in Group 1 looking to qualify for World Group II in 2007, while those in Groups 2 and 3 will seek promotion to a higher level.

A crucial part in the success of the...