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

Participating teams
ArgentinaAustraliaBelgiumBrazil
CanadaCroatiaCzech RepublicFrance
GermanyGreat BritainItalyJapan
KazakhstanSerbiaSwitzerlandUnited States

Seeds

  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

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

Final

Belgium and Great Britain won through to the final by winning semi-final ties against Argentina and Australia respectively. 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. 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.

Belgium were drawn as the home team under the rotation policy used by the organizers. They chose to play the tie on a clay surface in the Flanders Expo, an indoor arena in Ghent. The Belgians opted for a clay surface in the hope of unsettling Andy Murray, the highest ranked player on either side. 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. Murray's comments led ITF executive president Chris Kermode to state that the Tour Finals was a mandatory event. Murray participated in the finals, but was eliminated during the group stage.

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. 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.

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

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). 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. Edmund made a flying start to the first singles tie, racing into a two-set lead against Goffin by hitting many forehand winners. Goffin fought back to win in five sets, winning 14 of the last 15 games. Murray levelled the tie by winning in straight sets against Bemelmans. 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.

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. This was an attempt to win the tie by winning the doubles and the two singles matches not contested by Andy Murray. 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. 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. Darcis weakened later in the match and his serve was broken later in the third set, won 6–3 by the Murrays. After Jamie survived seven break points on his serve midway through the fourth set, the Darcis serve was broken again. Andy then closed out the victory, giving Great Britain a 2–1 lead.

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

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. 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. With his three victories in doubles matches with his brother, he also became only the fourth man to win 11 points in a tournament.

Summary

12345
Belgium 1Flanders Expo, Ghent, Belgium 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
1Belgium United KingdomDavid Goffin Kyle Edmund3 61 66 26 16 0
2Belgium United KingdomRuben Bemelmans Andy Murray3 62 65 7
3Belgium United KingdomSteve Darcis / David Goffin Andy Murray / Jamie Murray4 66 43 62 6
4Belgium United KingdomDavid Goffin Andy Murray3 65 73 6
5Belgium United KingdomRuben Bemelmans Kyle Edmundnot played

World Group play-offs

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.

Seeded teams Czech Republic Switzerland Italy United States Japan Germany Croatia SlovakiaUnseeded teams Brazil Colombia Dominican Republic India Netherlands Poland Russia Uzbekistan
Home teamScoreVisiting teamLocationVenueDoorSurface
India1–3Czech RepublicNew DelhiR.K. Khanna Tennis ComplexOutdoorHard
Switzerland4–1NetherlandsGenevaPalexpoIndoorHard
Russia1–4ItalyIrkutskBaikal ArenaIndoorHard
Uzbekistan1–3United StatesTashkentOlympic Tennis SchoolOutdoorClay
Colombia2–3JapanPereiraClub CampestreOutdoorClay
Dominican Republic1–4GermanySanto DomingoCentro Nacional de Tenis del Parque del EsteOutdoorHard
Brazil1–3CroatiaFlorianópolisCostão do SantinhoOutdoorClay
Poland3–2SlovakiaGdyniaGdynia Sports ArenaIndoorHard

Americas Zone

Group I

Seeds: All seeds and Uruguay received a bye into the second round. Colombia EcuadorRemaining nations: Barbados Dominican Republic Uruguay

Draw

Second round play-offsFirst round play-offsFirst roundSecond round
1Colombia
byeMontevideo, Uruguay (clay)
bye1Colombia3
UruguayUruguay2
Uruguay
Saint Michael, Barbados (hard)bye
Uruguay2
Barbados3Saint Michael, Barbados (hard)
Barbados2
Saint Michael, Barbados (hard)Dominican Republic3Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (clay)
Barbados2Dominican Republic3
Ecuador32Ecuador2
bye
2Ecuador

Group II

Seeds: Venezuela Chile Mexico El SalvadorRemaining nations: Bolivia Costa Rica Peru Puerto Rico

Draw

Play-offsFirst RoundSecond RoundThird Round
Caracas, Venezuela (hard)
1Venezuela5
Bayamón, Puerto Rico (hard)Costa Rica0Caracas, Venezuela (hard)
Costa Rica01Venezuela3
Puerto Rico5Humacao, Puerto Rico (hard)3El Salvador2
3El Salvador3
Puerto Rico2Santiago, Chile (clay)
1Venezuela0
Mérida, Mexico (hard)2Chile5
Bolivia1
Lima, Peru (clay)4Mexico3Talcahuano, Chile (indoor clay)
Bolivia24Mexico0
Peru3Santiago, Chile (clay)2Chile5
Peru0
2Chile5

Group III

Date: 20–25 July

Location: Panama City, Panama (clay)

Group A

ParaguayCubaHondurasPanamaRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Paraguay3–03–03–03–09–018–2114–651
Cuba0–32–13–02–15–412–9104–1002
Honduras0–31–22–11–23–67–1486–1113
Panama0–30–31–20–31–85–1792–1204

Group B

GuatemalaJamaicaBahamasTrinidad and TobagoBermudaRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Guatemala2–13–03–03–04–011–122–5157–981
Jamaica1–22–13–02–13–18–418–9142–1202
Bahamas0–31–22–13–02–26–614–12128–1223
Trinidad and Tobago0–30–31–22–11–33–96–2097–1444
Bermuda0–31–20–31–20–42–107–21114–1545

7th-place play-off

5th-place play-off

Promotion play-off

Paraguay and Guatemala promoted to Group II in 2016.

Asia/Oceania Zone

Group I

Seeds: All seeds received a bye into the second round. Uzbekistan IndiaRemaining nations: China South Korea New Zealand Thailand

Draw

Second-round play-offsFirst-round play-offsFirst RoundSecond Round
1Uzbekistan
byeTashkent, Uzbekistan (clay)
bye1Uzbekistan3
ThailandNonthaburi, Thailand (hard)South Korea2
South Korea3
Thailand2
Thailand0
China5Auckland, New Zealand (hard)
China1
New Zealand4Christchurch, NZ (indoor hard)
ChinaNew Zealand2
bye2India3
bye
2India

Group II

Seeds: Chinese Taipei Pakistan Philippines IndonesiaRemaining nations: Iran Kuwait Lebanon Sri Lanka

Draw

Play-offsFirst RoundSecond RoundThird Round
Kaohsiung, Taiwan (hard)
1Chinese Taipei5
Colombo, Sri Lanka (clay)Lebanon0Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei (hard)
Lebanon21Chinese Taipei3
Sri Lanka3Pasig, Philippines (indoor clay)3Philippines1
3Philippines5
Sri Lanka0İzmir, Turkey (hard)
1Chinese Taipei2
Palembang, Indonesia (hard)2Pakistan3
Iran0
Tehran, Iran (clay)4Indonesia5Jakarta, Indonesia (hard)
Iran14Indonesia1
Kuwait3Colombo, Sri Lanka (clay)2Pakistan3
Kuwait2
2Pakistan3

Group III

Date: 25–28 March

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (hard)

Seeds

  1. Malaysia
  2. Vietnam
  3. Hong Kong
  4. Syria
  5. Cambodia
  6. Saudi Arabia
  7. Qatar
  8. Turkmenistan

Group A

MalaysiaHong KongQatarSaudi ArabiaRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Malaysia2–13–03–03–08–117–3113–641
Hong Kong1–22–13–02–16–313–9113–902
Qatar0–31–23–01–24–510–1297–1073
Saudi Arabia0–30–30–30–30–92–1857–1194

Group B

VietnamTurkmenistanSyriaCambodiaRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Vietnam3–02–13–03–08–116–2105–541
Turkmenistan0–32–12–12–14–58–1284–1052
Syria1–21–22–11–24–59–1094–853
Cambodia0–31–21–20–32–75–1465–1044

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

Date: 27 April–2 May

Location: Isa Town, Bahrain (hard)

Seeds

  1. Pacific Oceania
  2. United Arab Emirates
  3. Jordan
  4. Bangladesh
  5. Singapore
  6. Iraq
  7. Oman
  8. Bahrain
  9. Kyrgyzstan

Group A

Pacific OceaniaJordanBahrainIraqRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Pacific Oceania2–13–02–13–07–215–8122–901
Jordan1–22–12–12–15–413–10114–1092
Bahrain0–31–22–11–23–68–1394–1173
Iraq1–21–21–20–33–68–1395–1094

Group B

SingaporeUnited Arab EmiratesBangladeshOmanKyrgyzstanRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Singapore2–13–03–03–04–011–123–3153–631
United Arab Emirates1–23–03–03–03–110–221–7156–832
Bangladesh0–30–33–03–02–26–613–12111–913
Oman0–30–30–33–01–33–97–1870–1254
Kyrgyzstan0–30–30–30–30–40–120–2417–1455

7th-place play-off

5th-place play-off

Promotion play-off

Pacific Oceania and Singapore promoted to Group III in 2016.

Europe/Africa Zone

Group I

Seeds: The top three seeds received a bye into the second round. Spain Ukraine Netherlands IsraelRemaining nations: Austria Denmark Lithuania Poland Romania Russia Slovakia Slovenia Sweden
Austria Denmark Lithuania Poland RomaniaRussia Slovakia Slovenia Sweden

Draw

Second Round Play-offsFirst Round Play-offsFirst RoundSecond Round
1Spain
Odense, Denmark (indoor hard)Vladivostok, Russia (indoor hard)
bye
1Spain51Spain2
Novy Urengoy, Russia (indoor hard)
Denmark0Russia3
Russia4
Slagelse, Denmark (indoor hard)
Denmark1
Denmark2
Sweden3
3Netherlands
Kitzbühel, Austria (clay)
bye
bye3Netherlands3
Örebro, Sweden (indoor hard)
SwedenAustria2
Austria3
Sweden2
Bratislava, Slovakia (indoor hard)
Slovakia5
Tel Aviv, Israel (indoor hard)Constanța, Romania (clay)
Slovenia0
Slovenia2Slovakia3
Sibiu, Romania (indoor hard)
4Israel3Romania2
Romania5
Kranj, Slovenia (indoor hard)
4Israel0
Slovenia5
Płock, Poland (indoor hard)
Lithuania0
Lithuania2
Vilnius, Lithuania (indoor hard)Szczecin, Poland (indoor hard)
Poland3
Lithuania1Poland3
2Ukraine42Ukraine1
bye
2Ukraine

Group II

Seeds: South Africa Latvia Portugal Moldova Bosnia and Herzegovina Finland Belarus LuxembourgRemaining nations: Bulgaria Hungary Ireland Madagascar Monaco Morocco Turkey Zimbabwe

Draw

Play-offsFirst RoundSecond RoundThird Round
Mersin, Turkey (indoor hard)
1South Africa2
Centurion, South Africa (hard)Istanbul, Turkey (hard)
Turkey3
1South Africa5Turkey2
Dublin, Ireland (indoor hard)
Ireland07Belarus3
7Belarus5
Viana do Castelo, Portugal (clay)
Ireland0
7Belarus2
Cruz Quebrada, Portugal (indoor hard)
3Portugal3
3Portugal4
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France (clay)Viana do Castelo, Portugal (clay)
Morocco1
Morocco13Portugal4
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France (clay)
Monaco36Finland1
6Finland3
Monaco2
Harare, Zimbabwe (hard)
Zimbabwe1
Harare, Zimbabwe (hard)Siófok, Hungary (clay)
5Bosnia and Herzegovina4
Zimbabwe55Bosnia and Herzegovina2
Győr, Hungary (indoor hard)
4Moldova0Hungary3
Hungary4
Sofia, Bulgaria (clay)
4Moldova1
Hungary3
Esch-sur-Alzette, Lux. (indoor hard)
Bulgaria2
Madagascar2
Liepāja, Latvia (clay)Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (clay)
8Luxembourg3
Madagascar28Luxembourg0
Jūrmala, Latvia (indoor hard)
2Latvia3Bulgaria5
Bulgaria4
2Latvia1

Group III Europe

Date: 15–18 July

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

Seeds: Cyprus Estonia Macedonia GeorgiaRemaining nations: Albania Armenia Greece Iceland Liechtenstein Malta Montenegro Norway San Marino
Albania Armenia Greece Iceland LiechtensteinMalta Montenegro Norway San Marino

Group A

CyprusGreeceSan MarinoRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Cyprus2–13–02–05–111–271–311
Greece1–23–01–14–28–665–602
San Marino0–30–30–20–61–1231–763

Group B

EstoniaMontenegroLiechtensteinRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Estonia3–03–02–06–012–072–211
Montenegro0–33–01–13–36–651–512
Liechtenstein0–30–30–20–60–1223–743

Group C

NorwayMacedoniaArmeniaRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Norway3–03–02–06–012–381–461
Macedonia0–33–01–13–39–673–552
Armenia0–30–30–20–60–1219–723

Group D

GeorgiaMaltaIcelandAlbaniaRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Georgia3–03–03–03–09–018–0108–171
Malta0–33–03–02–16–312–890–742
Iceland0–30–33–01–23–67–1271–943
Albania0–30–30–30–30–91–1829–1134

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

Date: 26–29 October

Location: Cairo, Egypt (clay)

Group A

TunisiaNamibiaAlgeriaGhanaRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Tunisia3–03–03–03–09–018–0111–331
Namibia0–32–12–12–14–59–1171–962
Algeria0–31–23–01–24–58–1276–973
Ghana0–30–31–20–31–84–1676–1084

Group B

EgyptBeninMozambiqueLibyaRR W–LMatches W–LSets W–LGames W–LStandings
Egypt2–13–03–03–08–117–2110–371
Benin1–22–13–02–16–313–792–752
Mozambique0–31–23–01–24–57–1162–783
Libya0–30–30–30–30–90–1727–1014

7th-place play-off

5th-place play-off

Promotion play-off

Tunisia and Egypt promoted to Group II in 2016.

External links