The 1979 Davis Cup was the 68th edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 52 teams would enter the competition, 29 in the Europe Zone, 13 in the Americas Zone, and 10 in the Eastern Zone.

1979 Davis Cup
Details
DurationAugust 1978 – 16 December 1979
Edition68th
Teams49
Champion
Winning nation United States
1978
1980

Following years of protests from various national sides, South Africa were expelled from the Davis Cup for failing to abandon its apartheid policies. For many years the Davis Cup organisers had been reluctant to let political issues affect the competition, however following several years of defaults by national teams and threats of a boycott, the organisers of the tournament were forced to resolve the political disagreements by expelling the South African side.[1] Canada, Mexico, Venezuela and the Caribbean/West Indies teams had all pulled out of the 1978 tournament, and in 1977 the United States, Great Britain and France had all withdrawn in protest to the continued politicisation of the Cup before eventually re-entering following concessions.[2][3] South Africa would not be allowed to participate again in the Davis Cup until 1992, when significant progress had been made to bring about the end of apartheid.

The United States defeated Argentina in the Americas Inter-Zonal final, Australia defeated New Zealand in the Eastern Zone final, and Italy and Czechoslovakia were the winners of the two Europe Zones, defeating Great Britain and Sweden respectively.

In the Inter-Zonal Zone, the United States defeated Australia and Italy defeated Czechoslovakia in the semifinals. The United States then defeated Italy in the final to win their 26th title overall and their second consecutive title. The final was held at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, United States on 14–16 December.[4][5]

Americas Zone

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North & Central America Zone

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Preliminary rounds

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First RoundQualifying Round
  Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico (clay)
bye
  Mexico3
  Canada2
bye
  Canada
  Colombia
Bogotá, Colombia
bye
  Colombia4
Nassau, Bahamas
  Venezuela1
  Caribbean/West Indies2
  Venezuela3

Main Draw

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Semifinals
8–10 December 1978
Final
16–18 March
  United States
Cleveland, Ohio, United States (indoor hard)
bye
  United States5
Mexico City, Mexico (clay)
  Colombia0
  Mexico2
  Colombia3

South America Zone

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Preliminary rounds

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First RoundQualifying Round
  Argentina
Guayaquil, Ecuador (indoor carpet)
bye
  Argentina4
Guayaquil, Ecuador (indoor carpet)
  Ecuador1
  Ecuador4
  Peru1
Cochabamba, Bolivia (clay)
  Bolivia0
Itu, Brazil
  Brazil5
  Brazil4
  Uruguay0
bye
  Uruguay

Main Draw

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Semifinals
8–10 December 1978
Final
16–18 March
Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay)
  Argentina5
Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay)
  Brazil0
  Argentina3
  Chile2
bye
  Chile

Americas Inter-Zonal Final

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United States vs. Argentina

 
United States
4
Racquet Club of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, United States[6]
14–16 September 1979
Carpet (indoors)
 
Argentina
1
1 2 3 4 5
1  
 
Vitas Gerulaitis
José Luis Clerc
6
1
7
5
6
1
     
2  
 
John McEnroe
Guillermo Vilas
6
2
6
3
6
2
     
3  
 
Bob Lutz / Stan Smith
José Luis Clerc / Guillermo Vilas
2
6
4
6
11
9
6
4
6
1
 
4  
 
John McEnroe
José Luis Clerc
6
2
6
3
       
5  
 
Vitas Gerulaitis
Guillermo Vilas
7
9
3
0
      retired
 

Eastern Zone

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Preliminary rounds

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Pre-qualifying roundPreliminary round
  Philippines
bye
  Philippines
Peshawar, Pakistan
  Pakistanw/o
  Pakistan3
  South Korea2
  Chinese Taipeiw/o
Jakarta, Indonesia
  Malaysia
  Chinese Taipei0
  Indonesia4
bye
  Indonesia

Main Draw

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Quarterfinals
5–10 December 1978
Semifinals
9–12 February
Final
16–19 March
  New Zealand
Christchurch, New Zealand (grass)
bye
  New Zealand3
Kasuga, Japan
  Japan0
  Japan4
Christchurch, New Zealand (grass)
  Pakistan1
  New Zealand2
Ahmedabad, India
  Australia3
  Indonesia1
Madras, India (clay)
  India4
  India2
  Australia3
bye
  Australia

Final

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New Zealand vs. Australia

 
New Zealand
2
Wilding Park, Christchurch, New Zealand[7]
16–19 March 1979
Grass
 
Australia
3
1 2 3 4 5
1  
 
Onny Parun
Mark Edmondson
3
6
6
3
6
3
6
2
   
2  
 
Russell Simpson
John Alexander
4
6
6
4
5
7
4
6
   
3  
 
Onny Parun / Russell Simpson
John Alexander / Phil Dent
4
6
7
9
3
6
     
4  
 
Russell Simpson
Mark Edmondson
3
6
2
6
4
6
     
5  
 
Onny Parun
John Alexander
7
5
6
3
6
3
     

Europe Zone

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Zone A

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Preliminary rounds

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First RoundQualifying Round
  Poland
Warsaw, Poland
bye
  Poland4
Helsinki, Finland
  Finland1
  Finland5
  Morocco0
  Italy
Palermo, Italy (clay)
bye
  Italy5
Athens, Greece (clay)
  Denmark0
  Greece1
  Denmark4
  Austria
Vienna, Austria
bye
  Austria5
Cairo, Egypt (clay)
  Egypt0
  Egypt5
  Portugal0
  Spain
Barcelona, Spain
bye
  Spain5
Monte Carlo, Monaco
  Soviet Union0
  Monaco1
  Soviet Union4

Main Draw

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Quarterfinals
15–17 June
Semifinals
13–15 July
Final
14–16 September
  Hungary
Rome, Italy (clay)
bye
  Hungary2
Warsaw, Poland
  Italy3
  Poland1
Rome, Italy (clay)
  Italy4
  Italy4
Vienna, Austria
  Great Britain1
  Austria1
Eastbourne, United Kingdom (grass)
  Spain3
  Spain1
  Great Britain4
bye
  Great Britain

Final

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Italy vs. Great Britain

 
Italy
4
Foro Italico, Rome, Italy[8]
14–16 September 1979
Clay
 
Great Britain
1
1 2 3 4 5
1  
 
Adriano Panatta
Buster Mottram
0
6
4
6
4
6
     
2  
 
Corrado Barazzutti
John Lloyd
6
1
6
4
6
4
     
3  
 
Corrado Barazzutti / Antonio Zugarelli
Mark Cox / David Lloyd
7
5
10
8
6
1
     
4  
 
Adriano Panatta
John Lloyd
6
3
6
2
6
3
     
5  
 
Corrado Barazzutti
Buster Mottram
8
6
7
5
       

Zone B

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Pre-qualifying round

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Pre-qualifying round
Ankara, Turkey
  Turkey0
  Iran5

Preliminary rounds

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First RoundQualifying Round
Amersfoort, Netherlands (clay)
  Netherlands4
Amsterdam, Netherlands (indoor carpet)
  Norway1
  Netherlands2
  France3
bye
  France
Geneva, Switzerland
   Switzerland3
Zürich, Switzerland
  Iran2
   Switzerland4
  Yugoslavia1
bye
  Yugoslavia
  Israelw/o
Augsburg, West Germany
  Nigeria
  Israel2
  West Germany3
bye
  West Germany
Brussels, Belgium
  Belgium5
Brussels, Belgium
  Ireland0
  Belgium1
  Romania4
bye
  Romania

Main Draw

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Quarterfinals
15–17 June
Semifinals
13–15 July
Final
14–16 September
  Czechoslovakia
Paris, France (clay)
bye
  Czechoslovakia4
Paris, France (clay)
  France1
  France5
Prague, Czechoslovakia (clay)
   Switzerland0
  Czechoslovakia3
Bucharest, Romania (clay)
  Sweden2
  Romania4
Bucharest, Romania (clay)
  West Germany1
  Romania2
  Sweden3
bye
  Sweden

Final

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Czechoslovakia vs. Sweden

 
Czechoslovakia
3
Štvanice Stadium, Prague, Czechoslovakia[9]
14–16 September 1979
Clay
 
Sweden
2
1 2 3 4 5
1  
 
Tomáš Šmíd
Kjell Johansson
6
4
6
3
6
2
     
2  
 
Ivan Lendl
Björn Borg
4
6
5
7
2
6
     
3  
 
Jan Kodeš / Tomáš Šmíd
Ove Bengtson / Björn Borg
2
6
6
3
6
4
6
0
   
4  
 
Ivan Lendl
Kjell Johansson
8
10
6
4
6
4
4
6
6
1
 
5  
 
Tomáš Šmíd
Per Hjertquist
3
5
        retired
 

Inter-Zonal Zone

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Draw

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Semifinals
5–8 October
Final
14–16 December
Sydney, Australia (grass)
AME  United States4
San Francisco, United States (indoor carpet)
EAS  Australia1
AME  United States5
Rome, Italy (clay)
EUR-A  Italy0
EUR-B  Czechoslovakia1
EUR-A  Italy4

Semifinals

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Australia vs. United States

 
Australia
1
White City Stadium, Sydney, Australia[10]
5–8 October 1979
Grass
 
United States
4
1 2 3 4 5
1  
 
Mark Edmondson
Vitas Gerulaitis
8
6
16
14
8
10
3
6
3
6
 
2  
 
John Alexander
John McEnroe
7
9
2
6
7
9
     
3  
 
John Alexander / Phil Dent
Bob Lutz / Stan Smith
9
7
6
4
6
4
     
4  
 
John Alexander
Vitas Gerulaitis
7
5
4
6
6
8
2
6
   
5  
 
Mark Edmondson
John McEnroe
3
6
4
6
       

Italy vs. Czechoslovakia

 
Italy
4
Foro Italico, Rome, Italy[11]
5–7 October 1979
Clay
 
Czechoslovakia
1
1 2 3 4 5
1  
 
Corrado Barazzutti
Tomáš Šmíd
1
6
6
3
1
6
6
3
5
7
 
2  
 
Adriano Panatta
Ivan Lendl
6
4
1
6
6
0
6
0
   
3  
 
Paolo Bertolucci / Adriano Panatta
Jan Kodeš / Tomáš Šmíd
6
8
6
2
6
1
6
2
   
4  
 
Corrado Barazzutti
Ivan Lendl
4
6
6
1
6
2
3
6
7
5
 
5  
 
Adriano Panatta
Tomáš Šmíd
6
3
6
2
       

Final

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United States vs. Italy

 
United States
5
Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, United States[5]
14–16 December 1979
Carpet (indoors)
 
Italy
0
1 2 3 4 5
1  
 
Vitas Gerulaitis
Corrado Barazzutti
6
2
3
2
       
retired
2  
 
John McEnroe
Adriano Panatta
6
2
6
3
6
4
     
3  
 
Bob Lutz / Stan Smith
Paolo Bertolucci / Adriano Panatta
6
4
12
10
6
2
     
4  
 
John McEnroe
Antonio Zugarelli
6
4
6
3
6
1
     
5  
 
Vitas Gerulaitis
Adriano Panatta
6
1
6
3
6
3
     

References

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  1. ^ "South Africa Expelled from Cup Play". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. 17 April 1978. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Canada heads pullout from 1978 Davis Cup". Montreal Gazette. Reuters. 4 July 1977. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  3. ^ "U.S. Withdraws from Davis Cup". Deseret News. Associated Press. 1 July 1976. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  4. ^ Bud Collins (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. pp. 495–496, 499. ISBN 978-0942257700.
  5. ^ a b "United States v Italy". daviscup.com.
  6. ^ "United States v Argentina". daviscup.com.
  7. ^ "New Zealand v Australia". daviscup.com.
  8. ^ "Italy v Great Britain". daviscup.com.
  9. ^ "Czechoslovakia v Sweden". daviscup.com.
  10. ^ "Australia v United States". daviscup.com.
  11. ^ "Italy v Czechoslovakia". daviscup.com.
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