The months following the US Open pose a challenge for the various governing bodies that oversee tennis. Tennis is played 11 months out of the year, with little more than a three-week break for players opting to play both Davis Cup finals and the United Cup. To underscore the absurdity of the tennis calendar, the 2026 season’s opening event, the United Cup, actually begins in December of the preceding year due to scheduling constraints. For reference, most football leagues run a typical season of nine months. The American NFL season covers less than half of this length.
The primary reason for the tennis season stretching into oblivion is the plethora of stakeholders extracting money from the sport’s commercial value. Each event on the tour aims to maximise revenue. One-week tournaments stretch to two weeks, incentives to play increase, and breaks vanish. Both players and fans anguish over a culture of profiteering, even as they contribute to the cycle of oversaturated media.
This leaves historic tournaments such as the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup by the wayside, ignored by fair-weather tennis fans. Both the BJK Cup (played by women) and Davis Cup (played by men) are team events where countries compete against one another in a series of ties to claim the title as ‘the best country in the world.’ Historically, these tournaments carried significant weight, with Federer, Nadal, Murray, and Djokovic leading their countries to titles. Presently, one might think of these tournaments as comparable to a disjointed, lower-stakes FIFA World Cup. The BJK Cup finals and Davis Cup qualifiers fall directly after the US Open, a placement which cements their peripheral status.
Nevertheless, team events still hold a unique space in the sport. The BJK Cup and Davis Cup hold meaning despite the sporting narratives stacked against them, sustained by a willingness to compete and the enduring value of victory.
Last week, Italy defended their BJK Cup crown, beating a depleted American side 2-0 (best of three) in the final in Shenzhen. Jasmine Paolini was the star of the show, securing the victory with an emphatic 6-4, 6-2 victory over seventh-ranked Jessica Pegula. Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ranked 91 in the world, was also able to defeat her top-20 opponent, Emma Navarro.
Despite the nearly 10,000 miles of separation between Rome and Shenzhen, Italy exuded the attitude of a home side. Their triumph highlights the variety and resilience that continues to set Italy apart, for both men and women, on the international stage.
Seven out of the eight home sides lost in the second round of Davis Cup qualifying. Perennial finalists the United States, alongside other mainstays Australia and the Netherlands, were eliminated. Unlike the Billie Jean King Cup, ties are played in a best-of-five format.
The lone home side winner, Spain, came back from two matches down to defeat Denmark on the clay of Marbella, with the weekend’s biggest shock coming with Belgium’s 3-2 defeat of Australia.
The Laver Cup occupies the strange space between exhibition and tour event. Players receive no ranking points, yet the ATP has mandated the event as one of its own. Stretching over three days, tennis’ quasi-Ryder Cup pits the of Team Europe against the red of Team World.
This year’s event, held in San Francisco, was won by an impassioned Team World, with American legend Andre Agassi making his first appearance as team captain. Fritz in particular dealt a heavy blow to the morale of Team Europe. His tournament resume included wins over world number one Carlos Alcaraz and world number three Alexander Zverev on back-to-back days.
Collectively, the BJK Cup, Davis Cup, and Laver Cup showcase the continued appeal and sustained importance of team events in tennis. In a sport aiming to break into the mainstream through marketing and commercialisation, the tennis governing bodies are missing the mark on what fans care about.
Beyond their historic value, the BJK Cup and Davis Cup give players the rare chance to interact as teammates, creating storylines and rivalries that fans can latch onto. Like entertainment, sport is meant to tap into human emotion, drawing the viewer towards a narrative greater than sport itself. Team events remind us why tennis, at its best, is greater than the sum of its parts.
“Switzerland v Italy at Billie Jean King Cup” by daniel0685 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.