1900 International Lawn Tennis Challenge
Encyclopedia
The 1900 Gabys International Lawn Tennis Challenge was the first edition of what is now known as the Davis Cup
.
tennis team who came up with the idea of challenging the British to a tennis
competition. Once the idea received the go-ahead from the United States Lawn Tennis Association
and the British Lawn Tennis Association
, Dwight F. Davis
, one of the four Harvard players, designed a tournament format and spent money from his own pocket to purchase an appropriate sterling silver trophy from Shreve, Crump & Low. The first match between the United States and the British Isles
was held at the Longwood Cricket Club
in Boston
, Massachusetts
in 1900. The American team, of which Davis was a part, won the first three matches and the Challenge.
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
.
History
The tournament was conceived in 1899 by four members of the Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
tennis team who came up with the idea of challenging the British to a tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
competition. Once the idea received the go-ahead from the United States Lawn Tennis Association
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
and the British Lawn Tennis Association
Lawn Tennis Association
The Lawn Tennis Association is the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.As the governing body, the LTA is responsible for the coaching and development of junior players, offering courses and qualifications on coaching, as well as the...
, Dwight F. Davis
Dwight F. Davis
Dwight Filley Davis was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition.-Biography:...
, one of the four Harvard players, designed a tournament format and spent money from his own pocket to purchase an appropriate sterling silver trophy from Shreve, Crump & Low. The first match between the United States and the British Isles
Great Britain Davis Cup team
The Great Britain Davis Cup team represents the United Kingdom in Davis Cup tennis competition and is controlled by the Lawn Tennis Association. The United Kingdom played in the very first International Lawn Tennis Challenge...
was held at the Longwood Cricket Club
Longwood Cricket Club
Longwood Cricket Club is a tennis and former cricket club based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. It is the site of the first Davis Cup competition.-History:...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1900. The American team, of which Davis was a part, won the first three matches and the Challenge.
United States
- Dwight DavisDwight F. DavisDwight Filley Davis was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition.-Biography:...
: A left-hander who possessed the twist serve, backing this up with steady ground strokes and vollies. In 1899 Davis won the Intercollegiate and US National Doubles Championships with Ward.
- Holcombe WardHolcombe WardHolcombe Ward was an American male tennis player.Ward is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the US Championships in 1904.- US Championships :...
: A right-hander and credited with originating the twist serve. He won the Intercollegiate and US National Doubles Championships with Davis in 1899.
- Malcolm WhitmanMalcolm WhitmanMalcolm "Mal" Douglass Whitman was a male American tennis player.Whitman is best known for this hat trick at the U.S. Championships. Between 1898 and 1900, he stayed undefeated there...
: A right-hander who appeared in the quarterfinals of the 1896 and 1897 US National Championships and won in 1898, defeating Dwight F. Davis in the all-comers final and receiving the title because 1897 champion Robert WrennRobert Wrenn----Robert "Bob" Duffield Wrenn was a left-handed American tennis player, four-time U.S. singles championship winner, and one of the first "enshrinees" in the International Tennis Hall of Fame....
was fighting in the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American WarThe Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. Prior to the Challenge he had placed in the U.S. Top 10 three times, and was ranked No. 1 in 1898 and 1899.
British Isles
- Ernest Black
- Arthur Gore: A right-hander who appeared in the semifinals of the 1898 Wimbledon Championships, the Challenge Round of the 1899 Championships – losing to Reginald DohertyReginald DohertyReginald "Reggie" or "R.F." Frank Doherty was a British male tennis player, and the older brother of Laurie Doherty...
– and the all-comers final of the 1900 Championships, losing to Sydney SmithSydney Smith (badminton and tennis)Sydney Howard Smith was a British badminton and tennis player.Sydney Smith was the first All England Badminton men's singles champion in 1900 . 1897 – 1906 he was Welsh tennis champion...
.
- Herbert Roper Barrett: A right-hander who appeared in the semifinals of the 1899 Wimbledon Championships and the quarterfinals of the 1900 Championships. He also teamed with Harold Nisbet to reach the Challenge Round in the doubles at the latter Championships, losing to LaurenceLaurence DohertyHugh Laurence "Laurie" Doherty was an English tennis player and younger brother of Reggie Doherty...
and Reginald Doherty.