Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/703971
6 I ITF CIRCUITS AND PROFESSIONAL TENNIS EVENTS • DAVIS CUP BY BNP PARIBAS INTERNATIONAL TENNIS FEDERATION • ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2015 One of the competition's two founding nations alongside USA, Great Britain had not won Davis Cup since Fred Perry inspired his team to the title in 1936, but success in the world's premier international team competition fi nally came around again in 2015, largely thanks to Andy Murray's telling contribution. The Scot became the fi rst man to win eight live singles rubbers in a single year, and matched the achievement of Ivan Lendl in 2005 by winning 11 live rubbers overall. He was the heartbeat of Leon Smith's team, right through to a pulsating showpiece tie in Belgium that saw him become the fi rst man in 20 years to win three live rubbers in a Davis Cup Final. After defeating Ruben Bemelmans in singles to cancel out David Goffi n's fi ve-set win over Kyle Edmund in the opening rubber, Murray teamed with brother Jamie to win a four-set doubles and returned on Sunday to fi nish the job against Goffi n, sealing the title with an inch-perfect top-spin lob. The stylish fi nish sparked jubilant scenes inside the Flanders Expo and marked a remarkable turnaround for Great Britain, which had sunk as low as No. 45 in the ITF Davis Cup Nations' Ranking in 2010. While Murray was the integral player in 2015, Great Britain's path to the title was very much a team effort. Indeed, had James Ward not defi ed his world No.111 ranking and a two-set defi cit to upset USA's John Isner in the fi rst round in Glasgow, the story of 2015 could have been entirely different. Great Britain ended a 79-year wait for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas title after rounding off a memorable 2015 campaign with victory over Belgium in the Final in Ghent. Davis Cup by BNP Paribas 530,000 530,000 SPECTATORS WATCHED DAVIS CUP TIES IN 50 COUNTRIES