Davis Cup and Fed Cup

The two tournaments you don't hear too much about but are very famous are the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup.




The Davis Cup (men) and the Fed Cup (women) are played all year round. Whenever the tennis pros have a break from their super busy schedule, they gather up with their teammates and host or visit another country. That is as simple as it gets.

Tournament Format

There are 8 teams in each side of the draw (16 total). You DON'T want to know how they chose the 16...TRUST ME. It's like talking to a lawyer about a contract. Something about a round robin format and zones like world cup.

But after they get the teams...it is a normal drive to the end of the tournament. A committee figures out where the ties are played.

What the heck...TIE?

When two countries play each other, they call it a "tie." This messed me up for a very long time so it is really important to understand that.

In a tie there are 5 matches, 4 singles and 1 doubles over 3 days (friday - sunday). Friday, 2 singles matches are played. Saturday is for the doubles match. Sunday, the 2 more singles players play.


Every match is called a "RUBBER." So if USA wins 3 out of 5 Rubbers against Sweden, USA wins the Tie. If USA wins the first 3 right off the bat, the last two rubbers don't matter but they still are played. Those matches are known as "DEAD RUBBERS."

Why is Davis/Fed Cup Fun?

Well DAVIS/FED CUP is like a big party. Fans are allowed to make as much noise as they want in between points and are often VERY ROWDY. The players also really seem to enjoy playing for their respective countries. Sometimes the home team has crazy rules like unlimited shot tracker challenges.


Players that feed off atmosphere can become davis/fed cup heroes. Nobodies can make a great name for themselves. A lot of people really love to play for their countries and are really motivated.

The Hard Courts

Hard courts are the most used courts in the US. Two slams use hard courts:

The US OPEN


The AUSTRALIAN OPEN



Hard courts offer the most true bounce. That means that you can guess where the ball will go after the bounce easier than clay or grass. At he US OPEN, the lines on the court are painted with a more reflective paint so that the fans can see the lines much easier at night. This paint changes the bounce slightly and gives players problems. Especially if the player likes to stand very close to the baseline.

Hard Courts, any type of courts for that matter, can be sped up or slowed down. The more layers of court they put on the concrete before painting it, the slower the court. So if you see a court so worn out that you can see concrete, expect your serve to be slightly better.

Cracks are another thing that effect hard courts. Architects think it is nice to have courts surrounded by trees to offer a little shade. But underground the trees roots can cause cracks. Crack can cause some crazy bounces.

The hard court season is usually the most grueling season in tennis because, as a trade off for the true bounce, tennis courts are really hot. If it is 90 outside, it is about 100 - 110 on the court depending on how hard the sun it beating. Shoes wear out much faster and shade is a commodity that you will welcome in lieu of the cracks. Most ALTA and USTA teams that practice in the evening can be affected by the daytime matches this way.

There is not much of a difference between the two major tournaments though. It is quite a bit hotter in Australia most of the time during the tournament. The US Open courts play faster. The fans in both tournaments are pretty rowdy. For some reason Serbians start fights at the Australian and at the US, our own US players seem to get ripped apart by linesmen with bad or disputable calls.

Hard courts are the easiest courts to learn on because, in the US, anyone can find them and play on them for free. It is one of the things that makes the USA great (in my opinion) so go to a hard court this week and swing some rackets...FOR FREE.