Tag Archives: Ghent

2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas by the numbers

A total of 576 players from 119 nations contested the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas in another memorable year for the competition. Great Britain, led by Andy Murray, captured its first title in 79 years and tenth title overall by defeating Belgium 3-1 in the Final in Ghent on 27-29 November.

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas was played in 55 countries in 2015, with a total of 83 home-and-away ties and five group events held in the World Group and three regional zones: Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe/Africa.

Over 39,000 fans attended the Final in Ghent, bringing the total attendance for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas in 2015 to over 530,000 spectators.

Davis Cup photo credit: elPadawan  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
Davis Cup
photo credit: elPadawan
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode

It was another successful year for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas on television, with the Final shown in 154 territories by 37 broadcasters. The British broadcaster BBC TV saw a peak audience of 5 million viewers and peak market share of 34 per cent on Sunday. The two Belgian rights holding broadcasters, VRT and RTBF, enjoyed peak market shares of 43 per cent and 23 per cent respectively. Throughout 2015, Davis Cup was shown in 161 territories by 58 broadcasters.

The Davis Cup websites in English and Spanish have shown a 6 per cent growth in 2015, with a record 6.9 million visits, 3.8 million unique visitors and over 30 million page views achieved by the end of the 2015 Final. The competition’s social media properties in English, Spanish and Chinese have seen a 23 per cent increase in users this year, with a total social media audience of 640,000, including 234,000 Twitter followers and 358,000 Facebook likes. The winning point between Andy Murray and David Goffin has been viewed 1.1 million times on Davis Cup Facebook, with an overall reach of 5.5 million.

It has been a strong year commercially for Davis Cup, with title sponsor BNP Paribas extending its current agreement for a further five years through 2021. The ITF signed a new international sponsorship agreement with Betway, and extended existing agreements with Rolex and Adecco. In addition beIN SPORTS became the Official Global Media Rights Partner for Davis Cup and Fed Cup in a seven-year agreement.

Andy Murray became the first player to win eight live singles rubbers in a calendar year since the introduction of the World Group in 1981, improving his Davis Cup by BNP Paribas singles win-loss record to 27-2. The world’s top five players (Novak Djokovic, Murray, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal) have now all won the Davis Cup, having contested a total of 107 Davis Cup ties and 232 rubbers among them.

A key factor in the success of Davis Cup by BNP Paribas has been the fan-focused campaign Show Your Colours, which promotes Davis Cup and Fed Cup as the world cups of tennis and has been used by all competing nations. Building on the unique team nature of both competitions, Show Your Colours uses branding elements for promotion, in-stadium activities and all of the ITF’s website and social media activity.

Andy Murray, 2015 Davis Cup photo credit: Marianne Bevis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode
Andy Murray, 2015 Davis Cup
photo credit: Marianne Bevis
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode

ITF President David Haggerty said: “It has been another memorable year for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, with some outstanding player performances, strong attendance, and increasing TV and online audiences. The competition continues to inspire both players and fans throughout the world in the unique atmosphere of a team environment.”

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 119 teams taking part in 2015. The competition is 115 years old having been founded in 1900.

Great Britain wins 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final

Great Britain has defeated Belgium 3-1 to win the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final in Ghent on Sunday 29 November.

This is Great Britain’s tenth Davis Cup title, placing them third on the all-time list behind USA (32 titles) and Australia (28 titles). It is Great Britain’s first title since 1936, with the gap of 79 years being the longest gap between Davis Cup titles in history.

Andy Murray has become the first player to win eight live singles rubbers in a calendar year since the introduction of the World Group in 1981. He is just the third player to achieve an 8-0 World Group singles record in a calendar year.

Andy Murray, 2015 Davis Cup photo credit: Marianne Bevis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode
Andy Murray, 2015 Davis Cup
photo credit: Marianne Bevis
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode

Murray is only the second player to win 11 live singles and doubles rubbers in World Group history after Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic in 2005. He is the first player since Pete Sampras in 1995 to win three live rubbers in a Davis Cup Final.

Andy and Jamie Murray are only the third set of brothers to win the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas title after fellow Britons Reggie and Laurie Doherty (4 titles: 1903-06), and Bob and Mike Bryan of USA in 2007.

Update For Those Attending The Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final at Flanders Expo

The ITF and Royal Belgian Tennis Federation (RBTF), in consultation with the relevant officials and our risk assessment and security advisers, are closely monitoring the situation in Belgium and specifically in Ghent. As of today there are no changes to the previously published start times for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final between Belgium and Great Britain.

We are taking every necessary step to ensure the safety of the teams, the spectators, the media and all working staff.

As you would expect, a number of specific, additional security measures have been put in place for this weekend’s tie.

Davis Cup photo credit: elPadawan  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
Davis Cup
photo credit: elPadawan
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode

In particular please note:

– This is a sold out event. There will not be any tickets on sale at the venue and anyone without a ticket will not be allowed access to the venue area.

– Additional security measures will be in place at all entrances to the venue and will apply to all ticket holders, staff members and visitors.

– Entry into the event will take longer than usual. Please keep this in mind when planning your arrival to the Flanders Expo. The gates will open two hours in advance of each day’s start time.

– Bags and backpacks will not be permitted in the Flanders Expo. Ticket holders will be asked to check any bags into available off-site storage facilities.

– No food or drink will be allowed into the arena. A full selection of refreshments will be available in venue.

– For those travelling into Belgium for the tie we advise that you liaise directly with your flight or train operator for up to date information on any changes to departure times or protocols.

Any additional updates on the tie including any changes to entry procedures for fans with tickets will be made via:

RBTF website: http://www.tennisvlaanderen.be/davis-cup-security

Flanders Expo website: http://www.flandersexpo.be

ITF official Davis Cup website and social media channels: http://www.daviscup.com

LTA website: http://www.LTA.org.uk

Ghent To Stage 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final

The ITF announced that Tennis Vlaanderen has nominated the Flanders Expo in Ghent to stage the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Final, which sees Belgium host Great Britain on 27-29 November. The tie will be played indoors on clay.

The Flanders Expo is a multi-use indoor arena made up of eight halls. The Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final will take place in Hall 1, which will have a capacity of 13,000.

Tennis Vlaanderen President Dirk de Maeseneer said: “Ghent will fully support the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final. As the third biggest city in Belgium, it has a lot of experience in hosting top international events, such as the Tour of Flanders, the arrival of the Tour de France in 2007 and the Gymnastics World Championships in 2001 and 2013.”

Further details including ticket information will be confirmed in due course.

Davis Cup photo credit: elPadawan  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
Davis Cup
photo credit: elPadawan
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 126 nations entered in 2015. The competition is 115 years old having been founded in 1900. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Davis Cup. International sponsors are Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Adecco (Official HR Sponsor) and NH Hotels (Official Hotel). beIN SPORTS is the Official Global Media Rights Partner.

Follow all the action on http://www.daviscup.com, http://www.copadavis.com, http://www.twitter.com/daviscup, http://www.facebook.com/DavisCupTennis, http://www.Weibo.com/daviscupofficial and http://www.daviscup.tv.