2016 DAVIS CUP TENNIS RESULTS BNP PARIBAS BY THE NUMBERS

Written by: Staff on 2nd December 2016

2016 DAVIS CUP TENNIS RESULTS BNP PARIBAS BY THE NUMBERS

epa05650327 Argentinian Davis Cup team players (L-R) Federico Delbonis, Guido Pella, captain Daniel Orsanic, Leonardo Mayer, and Juan Martin del Potro pose with their trophy after defeating Croatia in the Davis Cup final in Zagreb, Croatia, 27 November 2016. EPA/ANTONIO BAT |

Editors Note – Our suggestion for format change is so SIMPLE. The winning team like this year is Argentina. Let them enjoy the victory! Don’t make them start defending the cup 9-12 weeks after winning it. Let them enjoy their hard work and efforts it took to accomplish such a team effort… for themselves and their country and they should automatically be in the 2017 finals. Let everyone else play off for the right to play them. It’s called “challenge round.” Back in the day even Wimby was played like that (LJ)

2016 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas by the numbers

A total of 618 players from 124 nations contested the 2016 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas in another outstanding year for the competition. Argentina, led by Juan Martin Del Potro, became only the 15th nation in 117 years to win the Davis Cup title by defeating Croatia 3-2 in the Final in Zagreb on 25-27 November.

Argentina is only the second nation to win the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas having played all four ties away from home, and only the third nation in World Group history to win the title having trailed 2-1 after Saturday’s doubles. It was its fifth appearance in the Davis Cup Final, having lost all four previous finals in 1981, 2006, 2008 and 2011.

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas was played in 58 countries in 2016, with a total of 81 home-and-away ties and five group events held in the World Group and three regional zones: Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe/Africa.

It was a record-breaking year for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas television coverage, with the Final shown by 51 broadcasters across 171 territories. The Croatian host broadcaster HRT saw a peak market share of 32 per cent on Sunday. The 2016 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final between France and Czech Republic in Strasbourg also set a new record, with a total of 47 broadcasters across 159 territories.

The Davis Cup social media properties in English, Spanish and Chinese have seen a 28 per cent increase in users this year, with a total social media audience of 820,000, including 285,000 Twitter followers and 415,000 Facebook likes. The “tweener” (between the legs) lob by Juan Martin del Potro in the Final has been viewed 1.5 million times on Davis Cup and Copa Davis Facebook, with an overall reach of over 6 million.

The competition’s websites in English and Spanish have seen a total of 5.3 million visits, 3 million unique visitors and over 22 million page views achieved by the end of the 2016 Final. The Davis Cup Final saw a 30 per cent increase in visits, with a 1000 per cent increase in visitors to CopaDavis.com.

Over 45,000 fans attended the Final in Zagreb, bringing the total attendance for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas in 2016 to over 485,000 spectators. It was also a strong year for player participation, with 16 of the world’s Top 20, and 24 of the world’s Top 30 taking part during the year.

Argentinian Davis Cup team players (L-R) Federico Delbonis, Guido Pella, captain Daniel Orsanic, Leonardo Mayer, and Juan Martin del Potro celebrate with the trophy after defeating Croatia in the Davis Cup final in Zagreb, Croatia, 27 November 2016. EPA/ANTONIO BAT

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.

ITF President David Haggerty said: “Davis Cup by BNP Paribas continues to capture the imagination of players, fans and the media, highlighted in 2016 by a spectacular sell-out final and an electric atmosphere in Zagreb. This year we have seen record audiences on television and through our social media channels, and some memorable performances by some of the game’s leading names.”

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 124 teams taking part in 2016. The competition is in its 117th year 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 Betway (Official Betting Sponsor). beIN SPORTS is the Official Global Media Rights Partner. Follow all the action on www.daviscup.com, www.copadavis.com, www.twitter.com/daviscup, www.facebook.com/DavisCupTennis, www.Weibo.com/daviscupofficial and www.DavisCup.tv