great britain Archives - Tennis Grandstand

On 29 November 2015 Great Britain won the Davis Cup for the first time since the modern era, and their first time since 1936.

Great Britain were in the World Group and drawn up against No. 7 seeds USA in the first round. They were long shots in the tennis betting world to see off the record winners of the competition.

However, Andy Murray comfortably saw off Donald Young in the first rubber, winning 6-1 6-1 4-6 6-2 before James Ward took a key second rubber with a surprise five-set victory over John Isner, 15-13 in the final set. Isner had been the world No. 20 at the time.

The multi-time Grand Slam winning brothers Bob and Mike Bryan then took five sets to see off Dominic Inglot and Jamie Murray in the doubles match to earn USA their first rubber.

However, Andy Murray would see off Isner to pull off Great Britain’s first upset victory of the competition.

The No. 1 seeds France had seen off Germany in their first round tie to set up a meeting with Leon Smith’s British squad. Everything went as expected in the opening rubber as Gilles Simon saw off James Ward in straight sets. The second rubber was expected to be a close matchup before Andy Murray saw off Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets.

Jamie Murray then teamed up with his brother to beat Nicolas Mahut and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the doubles match to put GB 2-1 ahead.

On day three Andy Murray returned to come from a set down to beat Simon in four sets and seal a 3-1 victory for Great Britain. This was the first time Britain had progressed past the quarterfinals since 1981.

Australia were the opponents in the semifinals, also unseeded themselves, eliminating the third-seeded Czech Republic in the first round and then Kazakhstan to reach the final four.

Andy Murray had no problem beating Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets in the first rubber, including two bagels. Bernard Tomic tied it up for Australia by beating Dan Evans in the second rubber.

The Murray brothers teamed up again to give GB a 2-1 advantage on day two with a five set victory over Sam Groth and Lleyton Hewitt.

Andy Murray came back the following day at the Commonwealth Arena in Glasgow, Great Britain to beat Bernard Tomic in straight sets to seal Team GB’s first final appearance since 1978.

Belgium were the opponents in the final. Themselves unseeded and having beat No. 2 seeds Switzerland (without Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka) 3-2 in the first round, the eighth seeds Canada 5-0 in the quarterfinals, and No. 5 seeds Argentina 3-2 in their semifinal.

Great Britain were the favourites going into the final which was played at the Flanders Expo in Ghent, Belgium. David Goffin came back from two sets down in the opening rubber to see off Kyle Edmund 3-2 and take the first rubber for Belgium.

Andy Murray levelled the scores with a straight sets win over Ruben Bemelmans. He then teamed up with brother Jamie to beat Steve Darcis and David Goffin in the doubles match.

Murray then saw off Goffin in the opening match on day three to seal a 3-1 victory and the 2015 Davis Cup trophy for Great Britain.

Belgium are back for this year’s final against France between 24-26 November. For the latest betting odds, please refer to Betfair for all the information you need.

Andy Murray at the Davis Cup Final in 2015

The time has come! While Andrea has done a great job breaking down the World Group match-ups, I thought I’d spell out for you the specific reasons why you should set your alarm for 5AM, skip work, cancel all of your social plans, and dedicate your entire Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to the wonder that is Davis Cup.

10. The Newcomers

It’s been 8 years since Canada has been in the World Group. For Japan it’s been 27. In both cases the newcomers, led by youngsters Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori respectively, will be looking to prove that they belong with the big guns. Both teams have uphill battles- Japan hosts Croatia and Canada hosts France, but there’s nothing quite as exciting as fresh blood.

Team Canada puts on their most intimidating Davis Cup faces as they await Team France.

9. Fedmania!

In a giant reversal of storylines, Federer is the only one of the “Big 4” playing in Davis Cup this weekend. To top it off, he’s playing in Switzerland, against a depleted but still fun-to-beat American squad, and with good buddy Stanislas Wawrinka by his side. Love him or not, it will be fun to see the Legend soak in the well-deserved adoration and play in a team atmosphere on his home turf.

Federer and Wawrinka are sure to be full of smiles this weekend in Switzerland.

8. Russian Roulette

The Russian Davis Cup Team has undergone a bit of a makeover. Alex Bogomolov, Jr. is not only making his Russian debut, but he’s the team’s #1 player. Dmitry Tursnov and Igor Andreev, team mainstays, are absent while the struggling Nikolay Davydenko and the wildcard Igor Kunitsyn take their place. Mikhail Youzhny is coming off singles and doubles victories in Zagreb, but has been complaining to the press about an injured shoulder. All in all, there’s absolutely no telling what to expect from Team Russia as they travel to Jurgen Melzer’s Austria this weekend, and as always- that’s part of the fun.

With the mismatched Russian team, it's best to be expecting the unexpected.

7. Veterans Day

Some players have proven time and time again that they adapt to the Davis Cup atmosphere better than others. Whether it’s Melzer leading his Austrian team, Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek becoming mental giants for the Czech Republic, or David Nalbandian discovering the game (and legs) of his youth, there’s nothing quite as exhilarating as seeing the veteran guys play their hearts out for their country.

It's always a pleasure to watch Nalbandian wear his heart on his sleeve during Davis Cup play.

6. The Battle of the Misfits

One of the ties I’m most looking forward to is Spain/Kazakhstan. The Spanish Davis Cup stalwarts (Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, and Fernando Verdasco) who have dominated the team competition for the past few years are sitting out this year, paving the way for their less heralded countrymen (Nicolas Almagro, Marcel Granollers, Legend and Former #1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Marc Lopez). Meanwhile Kazakhstan’s team is full of former Russians (Mikhail Kukushkin, Andrey Golubev, Yuri Schukin, and Evgeny Korolev) who migrated over to the neighboring country for a chance to shine. It will be fun to see all of these former “back-ups” take the stage and fight for Davis Cup glory.

Golubev and Kukushkin will try and represent their adopted Kazakhstan well by dethroning the Spaniards this weekend.

5. Tommy Haas

Do I really need to explain this one? The often injured but forever adored German (when he’s not American) is back in Davis Cup action for the first time in five years! How lucky are we? Let’s just sit back and enjoy.

We've missed you Tommy, unexplainable facial hair and all.

4. The Other Groups

Believe it or not, the World Group Playoffs aren’t the only Davis Cup action happening this weekend. There are some pretty crucial ties happening in “Group I” and “Group II” (don’t you dare ask me to explain what that means). Teams in action that you might be interested in are: Ukraine (Sergiy Stakhovsky! Sergei Bubka- yes, Vika’s boyfriend!) vs. Monaco, Uzbekistan (Denis Istomin- am I the only one interested in him?) vs. New Zealand, Australia (Hewitt! Tomic! You know them!) vs. China, P.R., Great Britain (Murray-less) vs. Slovak Republic (starring recent ATP Zagreb finalist Lukas Lacko). You’d be amiss if you didn’t scavenge for some (surely static) streams for the lesser-known teams this weekend too.

Find a choppy stream to find out if Sergi Bubka, Jr.- son of pole-vault legend and boyfriend of Vika- can lead Team Ukraine to victory.

3. The New Heroes

Every year Davis Cup weekend, especially the first round, breeds unheralded heroes. Something about the five-set format, the team unity, and the pressure/invigoration of playing for one’s country brings out the best in some unsuspecting players. Who will it be this weekend? Could Milos lead the Canadians past the accomplished French team? Could the upstart Japanese make Davis Cup history against Croatia? Could the Swedish team find a miracle and cause the Serbian team to sweat? As cliche as it sounds, expect a new Davis Cup legend to be born.

Maybe Andreas Seppi will grasp the spotlight and lead the ever-dramatic Italians past the Czechs.

2. Double Trouble

Davis Cup is the time for Doubles to shine, and this weekend is no different. This weekend we have spectacular Doubles storylines: the reunions of fan favorites Fedrinka (Federer and Wawrinka) and Bendra (Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra), the eternal mystery of who the other Bryan Brother will be (Bob Bryan is home playing father duty, so either Mardy Fish, John Isner, or Ryan Harrison will take his place alongside Mike Bryan in Switzerland), and the always delightful Davis Cup return of BerdWorm (Berdych and Stepanek). Whether you’re a fan of doubles, awkwardness, hysteria, or just misplaced volleys, Saturday will be a special day for you.

Can Bendra (aka Benneteau and Llodra) keep the magic alive in Doubles this Saturday?

1. The Cheerleaders

Let’s be honest- Davis Cup really isn’t about the tennis. It’s about seeing the bromance on the benches as the fellow team members watch and frazzle along with us. Nothing is as great as seeing a good cheerleader- whether it be Roger Federer on his feet urging on Stanislas Wawrinka, Juan Carlos Ferrero fist-pumping a Nicolas Almagro winner, or John Isner and Ryan Harrison embracing when Mardy Fish gets to set point, there is no better reason to watch Davis Cup than to inspect the camaraderie on the benches.

great britain

A Look Back At Great Britain’s Win At The 2015 Davis Cup Final

10 Reasons to be Excited for Davis Cup Weekend