INDIA MAKES HISTORIC RETURN FOR DAVIS CUP AFTER 60 YEARS

1. The Indian Davis Cup team emerged victorious against Pakistan, securing their spot in World Group I.
2. This marked the 1^st instance in 60 years that an Indian tennis squad travelled to Pakistan for a Davis Cup match.

About the Davis Cup:

1. The Davis Cup came up in 1899 by 4 members of the Harvard University tennis team, led by Dwight F. Davis.
2. It was initially known as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge.
3. The inaugural (first) event took place in 1900 between teams from the United States and Great Britain, with the United States emerging victorious.
4. The Davis Cup is an annual international team event in men's tennis.
5. Governed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
6. Only the top 16 nations - the World Group - have a chance to win the Davis Cup.
7. India's debut in the tournament was in 1921, participating in 191 fixtures, winning 114 and losing 77. India hasn't qualified for the elite World Group since a 4-1 defeat to Serbia in 2011.
8. Leander Paes holds the record for the most wins, with 89 victories.
9. India reached the Davis Cup finals three times - in 1966, 1974, and 1987.

1. 1966: India, led by Ramanathan Krishnan and Jaideep Mukerjea, fell to Australia after victories against Brazil and West Germany.
2. 1974: Vijay Amritraj defeated the legendary Bjorn Borg, and Anand Amritraj secured two doubles titles. The team reached the finals against South Africa.
3. Despite being considered strong contenders, India refused to participate in the finals in protest against the South African government's apartheid policies.
   • Apartheid was a system of racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s.

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