Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/1537476
Major Events We are excited that this historic compe on is s ll growing, with 158 na ons taking part in 2024, a record for the third successive year and a 31% increase over 10 years. Davis Cup remains the largest annual team compe on in all of sport. Blockbuster Final 8 The 2024 Davis Cup Final 8 was the focus of worldwide media a en on a er Rafael Nadal, a four- me Davis Cup champion, chose to re re at the event and represent Spain one last me. With Malaga hos ng for the third and final year, Nadal had an emo onal farewell in front of a sell- out crowd of 9,200 in the Mar n Carpena Arena. A endance for the rest of the week was at 90% with another sell-out crowd for the final. The men's World Cup of Tennis thrived in 2024. Italy successfully defended their Davis Cup tle, achieving a double victory with Billie Jean King Cup. Davis Cup Four con nents were represented in the Final 8. Italy, led by world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, defeated Netherlands in the final to become the first na on to successfully defend the Davis Cup tle since Czechia in 2013, and the first to win both Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup since 2021. Player par cipa on in Malaga was strong. Except for two players, every No. 1 and No. 2-ranked man in the compe ng na ons took part. These included Sinner, world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 7 Taylor Fritz. We staged the Finals of Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup in the same venue for the first me in history, with a two-day overlap between the two events (see previous page). Italy will host the Davis Cup Final 8 from 2025 to 2027, with the 2025 edi on being held in Bologna. New home-and-away round We staged September's Davis Cup Finals Group Stage in Bologna, Manchester, Valencia and Zhuhai. These four round-robin events featured 16 teams, with eight qualifying for the Final 8. They were well a ended, and across the Qualifiers and Group Stage combined, 300,000 fans watched the ac on. From 2025 onwards, the ITF is replacing the Group Stage with eight home-and-away es, which will be known as the Qualifiers 2nd Round. This new round will feature the na ons to advance from the Qualifiers 1st round in February, 14 2024 ITF Annual Review