Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup and Laver Cup: team tennis explained
Tennis is mostly an individual sport, but three big events put players into teams. Here is how they differ.
Most of the tennis season is played by individuals, but three events are played in teams.
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the men's national team competition, first played in 1900. The United States has won it 32 times, and Italy won the last three editions (2023 to 2025).
Billie Jean King Cup
The Billie Jean King Cup is the women's national team competition. It started in 1963 as the Federation Cup, and was renamed in 2020 after Billie Jean King. The Czech Republic won the 2026 edition in Shenzhen.
Laver Cup
The Laver Cup is different: it is not played by nations. Instead Team Europe plays Team World (players from the rest of the world), over three days in September. It started in 2017, and Team Europe lead the series 6-3 after winning in London in 2026.
See the champions year by year on the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup and Laver Cup pages.
Sources: ITF; Laver Cup; Wikipedia.
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