Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/1524501
2023 ITF Annual Review 43 There was good a endance too for the Davis Cup Group Stage in September, which featured the compe on's elite 16 na ons compe ng for Final 8 places. Ac on took place in four round robin groups of four na ons, and the groups were hosted in Bologna, Manchester, Valencia and Split. In Manchester, 13,000 fans watched Great Britain's drama c defeat of France – the largest-ever home crowd for a Great Britain e. The Group Stage is being held again in Bologna, Manchester and Valencia in 2024, and the Chinese city of Zhuhai is the fourth venue. Sixty home-and-away es There were 60 home-and- away es in Davis Cup in 2023. February saw compe on in 12 Qualifiers and 24 Davis Cup World Group I and World Group II Play-off es, ensuring a week in which 72 na ons competed. In the World Group II Play-offs, several na ons hosted their first Davis Cup e for at least 15 years: Jamaica (last hosted in 2007), Cote D'Ivoire (2002) and Jordan (1993), giving those Na onal Associa ons the opportunity to showcase their na onal team on home soil once more. Twenty-four home-and-away es took place in World Group I and II in September, with home na ons spread across four con nents. Na ons in World Group I were compe ng for spots in the 2024 Qualifiers, and those in World Group II to advance to the 2024 World Group I Play-offs. In regional compe on, na ons competed in 10 groups across Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe/ Africa. For 2023, two new groups were introduced to absorb the greater number of countries compe ng in Davis Cup and to reduce costs for hos ng and travelling na ons. ATP alliance The ITF began a partnership with the ATP from 2023 onwards that ensures that the dates for the Davis Cup Finals and Qualifier es are an official part of the men's tennis calendar. This unprecedented strategic alliance also means that the ITF and ATP now collaborate on the governance and evolu on of the men's World Cup of Tennis, as we work to maximise its success as the elite men's tennis team compe on. Six na ons took part, with each team featuring one man and one woman. The 2023 player field was led by Carlos Alcaraz, fresh from his Wimbledon triumph the previous week, but the Croa an team of Borna Coric and Donna Vekic emerged champions. The new-look Hopman Cup won't be held in 2024 due to its proximity to the Olympic Games but will return in 2025. HOPMAN CUP Davis Cup par cipa on 157 NATIONS ENTERED FOR 2024 A RECORD 839 A RECORD MEN TOOK PART IN 2023 153 NATIONS COMPETED IN 2023 A RECORD We relaunched the Hopman Cup, the ITF's interna onal mixed team compe on, in 2023. It was held in Nice, France in July, having previously been staged in Perth, Australia from 1989 to 2019.