Hungary Davis Cup team
Encyclopedia
The Hungary Davis Cup team represents Hungary in Davis Cup
tennis competition and are governed by the Hungarian Tennis Association.
and was stuck in the first round for 5 years (not counting an automatic bye). They broke the curse with the first and convincing 5-0 win against Norway
realized by Béla Von Kehrling
in the major part. In the very next year in 1929
they cruised to their first semifinal losing to Great Britain
in a close 3-2 (two singles absolved by Von Kehrling) falling only in the fifth rubber. It took another 20 years to relive the success in 1949
(including the 5-year vacancy period during the Second World War) this time losing to France
in the semis. The core of the team was 1947 French Open
champion József Asbóth
. In 1956 Hungary was absent from the Cup because of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. In 1966 a record attendance visited the Hungary-Great Britain quarterfinal in Budapest, where a crowd of 20.000 spectators supported the András Szikszay-István Gulyás Davis Cup team during the 4-days tie. A tough weekend started on Saturday 14 May for the multiple champions Brits, who had 3-time Major semifinalist Mike Sangster
losing their first match in 5 sets to István Gulyás. They turned to 2-1 on the same day but on Sunday András Szikszay also defeated Sangster leaving the decision to the 5th final tie, which was postponed to Monday. In a four set match Gulyás started well taking the first one 18-16, but Roger Taylor finished in 3 easier sets. English team captain Headley Baxter remarked that although they won but they hadn't been forced to so a tough fight for years. Just two weeks later Gulyás had his first and lone Grand Slam final in the French Open
losing only to Tony Roche
of Australia.
the third semifinal challenge was left unexploited for the team as the Federal Republic of Germany
took the first three matches in two 5-sets and a 4-sets contests. The tie was saved by Szabolcs Baranyi (the present day captain) in the fifth match evading total defeat. It was also the last Davis Cup for veteran player István Gulyás
who fought in 61 matches for 14 years. Four years later Hungary repeatedly advanced to the semis by winning three consecutive rounds (Hungary had to get out from the preliminary round) but were stopped by Czechoslovakia
.
The breakthrough came in the next year when Hungary had a chance to advance into the Inter-Zonal Zone in the Europe Zone B Final. The Péter Szőke
, János Benyik (1995 captain) and Balázs Taróczy
(the only Hungarian winner in the tie) trio had to battle comrade socialist country Soviet Union
. Though the soviets won the qualifier 4-1 they stepped back from the Inter-Zonal Zone first round versus Chile
. Hungary had to wait two more years to get a second try in the final of the 1978 Europe Zone A against 1975 one-time champions Sweden
. Three times Wimbledon
and French Open champion and former World number one Björn Borg
backed up the Swedes. The Taróczy-Szőke duo won the doubles but the rest of the matches were lost.
(1973-'86) and Lanyi-Markovits ('87-'93) and the introduction of the all-time youngest player Sándor Noszály
. The team had four fruitless attempts to advance to the World Group (lost to New Zealand
, Denmark
and two times to Spain
) and had to defend one Europe Group I - Relegation Play-off (def. Belgium
). Due to the lack of tie breaks the Taróczy-Machán doubles hold the record for the Most Games In Rubber in the third one of the 1985 quarterfinal with Egypt
. Though the Egyptians had won it the Hungarians made a comeback from 2-1 and turned to 3-2. After the induction of tie-break László Markovits
set this record in singles as well in the quarterfinals of the 1992 Euro/African Group I. It was also a defeat in the 5-set opening match against Poland
with the final set lasting 14-12 (the final set tie-break still hadn't been accepted). The outcome was 3-2 to Hungary.
The Euro/African Group I first Round was organized by Hungary at the Vasas Sports Club in March. They had to overcome the tennis minority Finland
. The three opposite players had 1 ATP point altogether in singles. Olli Rahnasto
was a well-established doubles player, while his Finnish partner was unranked so were the Hungarian Lanyi-Markovits duo. Matching the expectations Hungary won the draw with only one setback on the event that is Rahnasto defeating József Krocskó.
The next step was taking over Great Britain
in the second round in Hungary. It was Lanyi's last appearance in the Davis Cup. The Brits were composed of Jeremy Bates, Mark Petchey
and Chris Wilkinson
. The quartet of Krocskó/Noszály/Lanyi-Markovits represented Hungary. All the Englishmen were higher ranked than the Hungarian best József Krocskó. Their doubles were better as well. It was a close win for Hungary finishing the tie in the decider 3 straight sets win of Noszály on Wilkinson.
The team reached had the opportunity to qualify for the World Group for the sixth time of their run. The only change in the team was the substitution of Markovits/Lanyi doubles for Viktor Nagy partnering singles player Sándor Noszály. Markovits remained in reserve. The match was played in outside red court in the UTE Stadium in Budapest. The Argentines were well-kwown of Guillermo Perez-Roldan
(defended Casablanca title in March vs. El Aynaoui
on clay) and Javier Frana
(champion of Movistar Open
in February on clay and '92 Olimpic bronze medalist for doubles) both inside the top 50-100 (#63, #82, #72 dbl. respectively). They were complemented by former top 10 player Alberto Mancini
(#112) and Pablo Albano
(#99 dbl.), the latter being paired up for the doubles round with Frana (winners of ATP Bordeaux
on clay 5 days earlier), who arrived in good shape ..
The first match was easily won by Noszály in three sets. He was in good form as he'd almost won the Budapest. In the second duel Krocskó pushed the Hungarians to a 2-0 lead by a 3 set win over Mancini, who held himself well in the first until the tie break, while gradually collapsing for the third set allowing a double break for Krocskó. The hope remained for the South-Americans after the fast doubles win over Noszály/Nagy, who played together for the first time and was on significantly low doubles rank for of 468 for Noszály and 715 for Nagy. Challenger on 19 September. The two had 134 positions difference in the ATP list at the time. The Argentine captain Francisco Mastelli decided to pick Frana instead of Perez-Roldan because of an injury for the crucial fourth rubber. At 2-1 tie the Krocskó-Frana face off who had 95 ATP places between them resulted in a World Group qualifying point for Krocskó, which he converted thus pushing the team into the Group for the first time in the Hungarian tennis history. At the dead rubber last match Noszály crowned the triumph with a 2-1 set victory over Mancini, who was 85 world rank ahead..
After the match Krocskó said on the decider:"I prepared profoundly on Frana, because we suspected the opponent change upon injury. I knew if I could return his serves there will be no problem. I wasn't afraid when the third set had gone, because I had the whole match under control". The Hungarian captain considered the qualification a huge virtuosity, which he'd never dreamed of.
in Besancon. The French had Henri Leconte
competing for singles, Olivier Delaître
for doubles and Arnaud Boetsch
for both. Markovits returned to partner with Viktor Nagy. The only match won by Krocskó against former top 5 Leconte (#49 that week) in three straight sets. All five matches were in straight sets.
The same result came to happen in the play off against Italy
in September at the Római parti Tennis Academy, Budapest. It was József Krocskó for the second time who provided the only win in a two per three sets final match over Renzo Furlan
, who was 38th on the ATP list. The team was relegated to Europe Group as a consequence.
World Group
In 1995 the team had only one match because of their previous relegation from World Group. In the Euro/African Group I 1st Round they passed through Portugal
and get a way back to the elite. The match took place in the Vasas stadium in Budapest. The Portugal tennis didn't soared at the moment with none of the native players inside the top 100. Their highest ranked player didn't step on court this time (N. Marques
) thus all the engageable players were around the top 200 (actually 2 and 4 places inside the top 200, while the reserve player was 9 spots behing the top 250). However in doubles they were much better (Köves/Markovits-Couto/Cunha-Silva) and because of the Davis Cup match up rules the lowest ranked Hungarian player had to beat his highest and better Portugal counterpart (Krocskó-Cunha-Silva). Contrary to the expectations these two matches was won by Hungary and was completed by the third win at the fourt rubber by Sándor Noszály over Joao Cunha-Silva (the two frontmen). The group advanced again to the play-offs (called World Group - Qualifying 1st round).
The biggest accomplishment of this team was the qualification to the World Group in a Play-off tie against the Australian team, whose rank and seed weren't determined by the actual Davis Cup rules, can be described the best by their flawless performance in the play-offs (thus this marked the first time for them to ever falling out of the World Group) and by the total Davis Cup champion titles they'd got (26 final victories, more than any other nation). World number one doubles partners Mark Woodforde-Todd Woodbridge (whose singles rank were #39-#36 respectively) were accompanied by Patrick Rafter (#46), Mark Philippoussis (#84) and coach John Newcombe
and Tony Roche
to Hungary. They left out of the stack 1993 finalist member Richard Fromberg
(who became active again after two years break) and Jason Stoltenberg
due to his shoulder injury.
The most anticipated Hungarian player was Sándor Noszály who reached the semifinals of Bucharest Open - part of ATP International series - after defeating Alberto Costa
and Sergi Bruguera
. He was also at his peak on the world rankings at the 95th position. He remembered ten years after as arriving tired to his first match because he had 5 days of rest after the aforementioned Romanian tournament. He was joined by József Krocskó (#192), who called himself a "Davis Cup specialist", a name referring to his better results when it came to represent his country. Finally the Köves/Márkovits duo was added to the roster.
Before the start of the tie it was revealed that the announced line-up for the Aussies changed when Newcombe left Rafter out of the active players list because the Hungarian clay court doesn't favored him as officially been explained. According to affiliates of the Australian delegation the reason behind the decision was the confrontation of Rafter and the coaches caused by the filthy speech and disrespectful behaviour he showed during a training where he also smashed his racquet. The Hungarian captain expressed his thoughts that the heavy ball would hopefully kill the serve-and-volley style of the opponents and now that Woodbridge jumped in as flagship of their team the third match would prove to be too much for him. He also added the opponents are vulnerable on the baseline game.
The Friday first match happened upon predictions by Philippoussis taking the rubber easily in 3 sets 106 minutes. The next match was a decisive one since the Hungarian didn't want to rely on the doubles match. Krocskó started well against Woodbridge taking the lead in the first set serving for a 5-2 40/15, he lost it together with the set to 7-5. He eventually won the match by winning the consecutive three sets allowing his opponent only 6 games 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. After the match Woodbridge blaimed the unusual cold weather, while Krocskó highlighted his aggressive style. At the Saturday doubles action the Hungarian pair advanced to 2-0 within 82 minutes over the multiple Grand Slam champions but the latter team took big effort to turn the tide and grabbed the victory. The Hungarians admitted that they became tired in the middle of the match while the Woodies
commented on their initial weak as a result of Woodforde's birthday party just before the beginning of the day. The Sunday schedule say the comeback of the Hungarian team from 2-1 to 2-3 as the three and half hour long rise and fall match of the two highest ranked players was won by Noszály despite Woodbridge having 3 break points at 3-3, which could have given him the chance to serve out the match. The confident play of Krocskó in the decider meant the end of Australia's permanent successes in the World Group and Hungary being promoted into it for the second time.
In the first round of the 1996 Davis Cup World Group they faced the Czech Republic the actual semifinalists of the year. Their opponents enlisted Daniel Vacek
(#26), Petr Korda
(#27) and David Cup debutant newcomer Jiri Novak
(#40) giving the Hungarians no chance with a walloping 5-0 victory in Plzen, Czech Republic.
They had to defend the World Group membership against up-and-coming Russia
headed by Yevgeny Kafelnikov
(#5). The Hungarian team had been saved by a second zero defeat thanks to Sávolt Attila the newest player of the team, who won the fifth match (vs. former top ten Andrei Chesnokov
) shortened to two won sets due to irreversible 4-0 Russian lead. It also marked the retirement of Sándor Noszály who lost in his final match partnering Gábor Köves to Kafelnikov/Olhovski. Thus Hungary was eliminated from the Group for the second time.
in 2001, the Longest Tie Duration (versus Luxembourg hallmarked by Gilles Müller
) in a 2002 match-up, the Longest Winning Run in Ties between 2003-'04 (Estonia
, Madagascar
, Namibia
, Lithuania
), Longest Rubber Duration (4 Hours 31 Minutes during the 3-2 win over Bulgaria
) in 2006 and the Most Decisive Victory in tie against Greece
in 2008
. Hungary was degraded to Group II in 1997 after being defeated by Ukraine
3-2. In 1999 they leveled up again but only for one year, in which they had two defeats to Andrei Pavel
's Romania
and Jarkko Nieminen
's Finland
. Hungary currently competes in the Europe/Africa Group II and in 11 July 2010
avoided relegation against Macedonia.In 2011 the team advanced to the play-off of Europe/Africa Group II after two successful ties against Cyprus
and Belarus
before failing to be promoted against Great Britain
led by Andy Murray in singles and Fleming
-Hutchins
in doubles.
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
tennis competition and are governed by the Hungarian Tennis Association.
Current team
- Attila BalázsAttila BalázsAttila Balázs is a Hungarian professional tennis player. He's a three time Hungarian National Tennis Champion.-Titles :-Runner-Up :-External links:...
- György Balázs
- Kornél BardóczkyKornél BardóczkyKornél Bardóczky is a professional male tennis player from Hungary.Bardóczky reached his highest individual ranking on the ATP Tour on July 5, 2004, when he became World number 254...
- Márton FucsovicsMárton FucsovicsMárton Fucsovics is a professional Hungarian tennis player. He started to play tennis at the age of five. He came through the ranks quickly and at the age of 8 he played in a field 3–4 years older....
- Sebő Kiss
- Ádám KellnerÁdám KellnerÁdám Kellner is a professional Hungarian tennis player.Kellner reached his highest individual ranking on the ATP Tour on August 29, 2011, when he became World number 218...
First decades in Davis Cup (1924-1967)
Hungary competed in its first Davis Cup in 19241924 International Lawn Tennis Challenge
The 1924 International Lawn Tennis Challenge was the 19th edition of what is now known as the Davis Cup. The tournament was, for the second straight year, divided into the America and Europe Zones. 17 teams competed in the Europe Zone, and 6 in America...
and was stuck in the first round for 5 years (not counting an automatic bye). They broke the curse with the first and convincing 5-0 win against Norway
Norway Davis Cup team
The Norway Davis Cup team represents Norway in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Norges Tennisforbund.Unlike neighbours Sweden, Norway have never been a tennis powerhouse...
realized by Béla Von Kehrling
Béla von Kehrling
Béla von Kehrling was a Hungarian tennis, table tennis, and football player but eventually a winter sportsman familiar with ice-hockey and occasionally competing in bobsleigh....
in the major part. In the very next year in 1929
1929 International Lawn Tennis Challenge
The 1929 International Lawn Tennis Challenge was the 24th edition of what is now known as the Davis Cup. 23 teams would enter the Europe Zone, while 5 would enter the America Zone....
they cruised to their first semifinal losing to Great Britain
Great Britain Davis Cup team
The Great Britain Davis Cup team represents the United Kingdom in Davis Cup tennis competition and is controlled by the Lawn Tennis Association. The United Kingdom played in the very first International Lawn Tennis Challenge...
in a close 3-2 (two singles absolved by Von Kehrling) falling only in the fifth rubber. It took another 20 years to relive the success in 1949
1949 Davis Cup
The 1949 Davis Cup was the 38th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 28 teams would enter the competition, 24 in the Europe Zone, and 4 in the Americas Zone....
(including the 5-year vacancy period during the Second World War) this time losing to France
France Davis Cup team
The France Davis Cup team represents France in Davis Cup tennis competition, and is governed by the Fédération Française de Tennis.France is the third most successful nation, with 9 wins...
in the semis. The core of the team was 1947 French Open
1947 French Championships (tennis)
List of Champions of the 1947 French Championships :-Men's Singles: József Asbóth defeated Eric Sturgess 8-6 7-5 6-4-Women's Singles: Patricia Todd defeated Doris Hart 6-3 3-6 6-4...
champion József Asbóth
József Asbóth
József Asbóth was a Hungarian male tennis player, best remembered for being the first Hungarian tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title, at the 1947 Roland Garros French Open. He reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1948. In 1941 he was a member of the Hungarian team that won the Central...
. In 1956 Hungary was absent from the Cup because of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. In 1966 a record attendance visited the Hungary-Great Britain quarterfinal in Budapest, where a crowd of 20.000 spectators supported the András Szikszay-István Gulyás Davis Cup team during the 4-days tie. A tough weekend started on Saturday 14 May for the multiple champions Brits, who had 3-time Major semifinalist Mike Sangster
Mike Sangster
Mike Sangster was one of the leading British tennis players of the 1960s.- Birth and Early Life :Mike Sangster was born in Kingskerswell, Devon on 11 September 1940. He attended Torquay Boys' Grammar School...
losing their first match in 5 sets to István Gulyás. They turned to 2-1 on the same day but on Sunday András Szikszay also defeated Sangster leaving the decision to the 5th final tie, which was postponed to Monday. In a four set match Gulyás started well taking the first one 18-16, but Roger Taylor finished in 3 easier sets. English team captain Headley Baxter remarked that although they won but they hadn't been forced to so a tough fight for years. Just two weeks later Gulyás had his first and lone Grand Slam final in the French Open
1966 French Championships (tennis)
List of Champions of the 1966 French Championships :-Men's Singles: Tony Roche defeated István Gulyás 6-1 6-4 7-5-Women's Singles: Ann Jones defeated Nancy Richey 6-3 6-1...
losing only to Tony Roche
Tony Roche
Anthony "Tony" Dalton Roche is a former professional Australian tennis player, native of Tarcutta. He played junior tennis in the New South Wales regional city of Wagga Wagga. He won one Grand Slam singles title and twelve Grand Slam doubles titles. He is also very well known for coaching...
of Australia.
From open-era tennis to formation of World Group (1968-1980)
22 years after the last attempt in 19711971 Davis Cup
The 1971 Davis Cup was the 60th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 50 teams would enter the competition, 28 in the Europe Zone, 13 in the Americas Zone, and 9 in the Eastern Zone....
the third semifinal challenge was left unexploited for the team as the Federal Republic of Germany
Germany Davis Cup team
The Germany Davis Cup team represents Germany in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Deutscher Tennis Bund. As East Germany never participated in the Davis Cup and the Deutscher Tennisbund remained the same organization throughout the century the West German Davis Cup team is...
took the first three matches in two 5-sets and a 4-sets contests. The tie was saved by Szabolcs Baranyi (the present day captain) in the fifth match evading total defeat. It was also the last Davis Cup for veteran player István Gulyás
István Gulyás
István Gulyás , after allowing the match to be delayed 24 hours to allow Roche to recover from an ankle injury. It was Gulyas' lone Grand Slam final. He holds the record for most Hungarian National Championship titles by having it awarded 15 times in his career.-Singles: 1 :-References:...
who fought in 61 matches for 14 years. Four years later Hungary repeatedly advanced to the semis by winning three consecutive rounds (Hungary had to get out from the preliminary round) but were stopped by Czechoslovakia
Czech Republic Davis Cup team
The Czech Republic Davis Cup team represents the Czech Republic in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Czech Tennis Federation. The Czech team was started in 1993, following the Czechoslovakian break-up....
.
The breakthrough came in the next year when Hungary had a chance to advance into the Inter-Zonal Zone in the Europe Zone B Final. The Péter Szőke
Peter Szoke
Péter Szőke , is a former Hungarian tennis player. Szőke did not win any top-level titles during his professional career, finishing runner-up once in singles and four times in doubles...
, János Benyik (1995 captain) and Balázs Taróczy
Balazs Taroczy
Balázs Taróczy is a former tennis player from Hungary, who won thirteen singles titles in his career. The right-hander achieved his highest ranking during the ATP Tour on February 8, 1982, when he became World Number 13. He's a six times Hungarain champion...
(the only Hungarian winner in the tie) trio had to battle comrade socialist country Soviet Union
Russia Davis Cup team
The Russia Davis Cup team represents Russia in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the Russian Tennis Federation. The team started playing in 1993....
. Though the soviets won the qualifier 4-1 they stepped back from the Inter-Zonal Zone first round versus Chile
Chile Davis Cup team
The Chile Davis Cup Team represents Chile in Davis Cup tennis tournament and is governed by Chile Tennis Federation. The team is currently captained by former Chilean tennis player Hans Gildemeister.-History:...
. Hungary had to wait two more years to get a second try in the final of the 1978 Europe Zone A against 1975 one-time champions Sweden
Sweden Davis Cup team
The Sweden Davis Cup team represents Sweden in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the Svenska Tennisförbundet.Sweden is the 5th most successful nation, winning the title 7 times...
. Three times Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
and French Open champion and former World number one Björn Borg
Björn Borg
Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
backed up the Swedes. The Taróczy-Szőke duo won the doubles but the rest of the matches were lost.
1981-93 seasons
The era was dominated by the play of two-time GS doubles champion Balázs TaróczyBalazs Taroczy
Balázs Taróczy is a former tennis player from Hungary, who won thirteen singles titles in his career. The right-hander achieved his highest ranking during the ATP Tour on February 8, 1982, when he became World Number 13. He's a six times Hungarain champion...
(1973-'86) and Lanyi-Markovits ('87-'93) and the introduction of the all-time youngest player Sándor Noszály
Sandor Noszaly
Sándor Noszály is an active tennis player from Hungary, who is a five times Hungarian Champion in singles and 16 times adding the doubles.-Career:...
. The team had four fruitless attempts to advance to the World Group (lost to New Zealand
New Zealand Davis Cup team
The New Zealand Davis Cup team represents New Zealand in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by Tennis New Zealand.New Zealand currently compete in the Asia/Oceania Zone of Group II. They have played in the World Group on 8 occasions, the most recent of which was in 1991. They reached...
, Denmark
Denmark Davis Cup team
The Denmark Davis Cup team represents Denmark in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Danish Tennis Association.Denmark currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group II. They competed in the World Group from 1988 to 1989 and again from 1993 to 1996...
and two times to Spain
Spain Davis Cup team
The Spain Davis Cup team represents Spain in the Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Real Federación Española de Tenis, presided over by José Luis Escañuela....
) and had to defend one Europe Group I - Relegation Play-off (def. Belgium
Belgium Davis Cup team
The Belgium Davis Cup team represents Belgium in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Royal Belgian Tennis Federation.Belgium finished as runner-up in 1904.Belgium returned to the World Group in 2007 after 3 years absence.-Current team:...
). Due to the lack of tie breaks the Taróczy-Machán doubles hold the record for the Most Games In Rubber in the third one of the 1985 quarterfinal with Egypt
Egypt Davis Cup team
The Egypt Davis Cup team represents Egypt in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Egyptian Tennis Federation.Egypt currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group III. They reached the semifinals of Group I in 1982 and 1985.-History:...
. Though the Egyptians had won it the Hungarians made a comeback from 2-1 and turned to 3-2. After the induction of tie-break László Markovits
Laszlo Markovits
Count László Markovits de Spizza et Kisterpest is a former tennis player from Hungary, son of water polo player and national team captain Kálmán Markovits...
set this record in singles as well in the quarterfinals of the 1992 Euro/African Group I. It was also a defeat in the 5-set opening match against Poland
Poland Davis Cup team
The Poland Davis Cup team represents Poland in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Polski Związek Tenisowy.Poland currently competes in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I. They lost first round match to Finland...
with the final set lasting 14-12 (the final set tie-break still hadn't been accepted). The outcome was 3-2 to Hungary.
1993 season
From the beginning of the season the captain András Pintér was followed by Csepai Ferenc.The Euro/African Group I first Round was organized by Hungary at the Vasas Sports Club in March. They had to overcome the tennis minority Finland
Finland Davis Cup team
The Finland Davis Cup team represents Finland in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Suomen Tennisliitto.Finland currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group I. They have reached the World Group Play-offs three times. In 1999, they came within one set of...
. The three opposite players had 1 ATP point altogether in singles. Olli Rahnasto
Olli Rahnasto
Olli Rahnasto is a retired professional tennis player from Finland.Rahnasto turned pro in 1982. During his career, he won two ATP Tour doubles titles and reached a career high doubles ranking of No. 79 in 1986. He was a member of the Finland Davis Cup team, and led the team to the World Group...
was a well-established doubles player, while his Finnish partner was unranked so were the Hungarian Lanyi-Markovits duo. Matching the expectations Hungary won the draw with only one setback on the event that is Rahnasto defeating József Krocskó.
The next step was taking over Great Britain
Great Britain Davis Cup team
The Great Britain Davis Cup team represents the United Kingdom in Davis Cup tennis competition and is controlled by the Lawn Tennis Association. The United Kingdom played in the very first International Lawn Tennis Challenge...
in the second round in Hungary. It was Lanyi's last appearance in the Davis Cup. The Brits were composed of Jeremy Bates, Mark Petchey
Mark Petchey
Mark Dave Petchey is a former tennis player from England, who turned professional in 1988. The right-hander won one doubles title in his career. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 8 August 1994, when he became the number 80 of the world...
and Chris Wilkinson
Chris Wilkinson
Chris Wilkinson may refer to:* Chris Wilkinson, British tennis player* Chris Wilkinson , British architect...
. The quartet of Krocskó/Noszály/Lanyi-Markovits represented Hungary. All the Englishmen were higher ranked than the Hungarian best József Krocskó. Their doubles were better as well. It was a close win for Hungary finishing the tie in the decider 3 straight sets win of Noszály on Wilkinson.
The team reached had the opportunity to qualify for the World Group for the sixth time of their run. The only change in the team was the substitution of Markovits/Lanyi doubles for Viktor Nagy partnering singles player Sándor Noszály. Markovits remained in reserve. The match was played in outside red court in the UTE Stadium in Budapest. The Argentines were well-kwown of Guillermo Perez-Roldan
Guillermo Pérez-Roldán
Guillermo Pérez-Roldán is a former professional tennis player from Argentina.Pérez-Roldán was known particularly as a strong clay court player. He turned professional in 1986. Between 1987 and 1993, he won nine top-level singles titles...
(defended Casablanca title in March vs. El Aynaoui
Younes El Aynaoui
Younes El Aynaoui is a professional tennis player from Morocco.He is a five-time singles winner on the ATP Tour and reached his career-high singles ranking of No. 14 in 2003, at the age of 31. His long career has been plagued by injuries and he did not play competitive tennis between September...
on clay) and Javier Frana
Javier Frana
Javier Alberto Frana is a former tennis player from Argentina and current tennis commentator for ESPN Latin America.-Tennis career:...
(champion of Movistar Open
Movistar Open
The Movistar Open is an ATP International Series men's tennis tournament held in February 2010 in Las Condes commune, and it's played on clay. It was previously played in Viña del Mar.-History:In 1992, Brazil suspended its three ATP tournaments...
in February on clay and '92 Olimpic bronze medalist for doubles) both inside the top 50-100 (#63, #82, #72 dbl. respectively). They were complemented by former top 10 player Alberto Mancini
Alberto Mancini
Alberto César Mancini is a former professional tennis player from Argentina. He turned professional in 1987. In 1988, he won his first top-level singles title at Bologna, and his first tour doubles title at St. Vincent....
(#112) and Pablo Albano
Pablo Albano
Pablo Albano , is a former professional tennis player from Argentina.Albano enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 9 doubles titles. He achieved a career-high doubles ranking of World No. 25 in 1997.-Doubles titles :-Runner-ups :-External links:...
(#99 dbl.), the latter being paired up for the doubles round with Frana (winners of ATP Bordeaux
ATP Bordeaux
This is a defunct men's tennis tournament that was held annually under various names, The Bordeaux Open Grand Prix Passing Shot and was part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit tour from it then became an ATP Tour event until 1995...
on clay 5 days earlier), who arrived in good shape ..
The first match was easily won by Noszály in three sets. He was in good form as he'd almost won the Budapest. In the second duel Krocskó pushed the Hungarians to a 2-0 lead by a 3 set win over Mancini, who held himself well in the first until the tie break, while gradually collapsing for the third set allowing a double break for Krocskó. The hope remained for the South-Americans after the fast doubles win over Noszály/Nagy, who played together for the first time and was on significantly low doubles rank for of 468 for Noszály and 715 for Nagy. Challenger on 19 September. The two had 134 positions difference in the ATP list at the time. The Argentine captain Francisco Mastelli decided to pick Frana instead of Perez-Roldan because of an injury for the crucial fourth rubber. At 2-1 tie the Krocskó-Frana face off who had 95 ATP places between them resulted in a World Group qualifying point for Krocskó, which he converted thus pushing the team into the Group for the first time in the Hungarian tennis history. At the dead rubber last match Noszály crowned the triumph with a 2-1 set victory over Mancini, who was 85 world rank ahead..
After the match Krocskó said on the decider:"I prepared profoundly on Frana, because we suspected the opponent change upon injury. I knew if I could return his serves there will be no problem. I wasn't afraid when the third set had gone, because I had the whole match under control". The Hungarian captain considered the qualification a huge virtuosity, which he'd never dreamed of.
1994 season
In its first year of being promoted to World Group the Hungarians had to play with FranceFrance Davis Cup team
The France Davis Cup team represents France in Davis Cup tennis competition, and is governed by the Fédération Française de Tennis.France is the third most successful nation, with 9 wins...
in Besancon. The French had Henri Leconte
Henri Leconte
Henri Leconte is a former French professional tennis player. He reached the men's singles final at the French Open in 1988, won the French Open men's doubles title in 1984, and helped France win the Davis Cup in 1991.-Biography and career:...
competing for singles, Olivier Delaître
Olivier Delaître
Olivier Delaître is a former tennis player from France. He won 15 doubles titles during a fourteen year career becoming the world's 3rd ranked doubles player on July 12, 1999....
for doubles and Arnaud Boetsch
Arnaud Boetsch
Arnaud Boetsch is a former French tennis player who turned professional in 1987.Boetsch represented France at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where he was defeated in the second round by Spain's eventual silver medal winner Sergi Bruguera...
for both. Markovits returned to partner with Viktor Nagy. The only match won by Krocskó against former top 5 Leconte (#49 that week) in three straight sets. All five matches were in straight sets.
The same result came to happen in the play off against Italy
Italy Davis Cup team
The Italy Davis Cup team represents Italy in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federazione Italiana Tennis.Italy won the Davis Cup in 1976, and finished as runners-up 6 times . They currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group I...
in September at the Római parti Tennis Academy, Budapest. It was József Krocskó for the second time who provided the only win in a two per three sets final match over Renzo Furlan
Renzo Furlan
Renzo Furlan is a former tennis player from Italy.Having turned professional in 1988, Furlan represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was defeated in the quarter finals by India's Leander Paes...
, who was 38th on the ATP list. The team was relegated to Europe Group as a consequence.
World Group
1995-1996 Season
The team was at its rise under the leadership of team captain and coach János Benyik. With his help the team reached the highest level group of Davis Cup and achieved remarkable victories over notable teams.In 1995 the team had only one match because of their previous relegation from World Group. In the Euro/African Group I 1st Round they passed through Portugal
Portugal Davis Cup team
The Portugal Davis Cup team represents Portugal in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federação Portuguesa de Ténis.Portugal currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group II. They have never played in the World Group, but reached the Play-offs in 1994.-History:Portugal...
and get a way back to the elite. The match took place in the Vasas stadium in Budapest. The Portugal tennis didn't soared at the moment with none of the native players inside the top 100. Their highest ranked player didn't step on court this time (N. Marques
Nuno Marques
Nuno Miguel Bacelar de Vasconcelos Marques is a former Portuguese tennis player. He was the first Portuguese to reach the top 100 ATP rankings and held the record of highest ranked Portuguese player in history until Frederico Gil surpassed him in 2009...
) thus all the engageable players were around the top 200 (actually 2 and 4 places inside the top 200, while the reserve player was 9 spots behing the top 250). However in doubles they were much better (Köves/Markovits-Couto/Cunha-Silva) and because of the Davis Cup match up rules the lowest ranked Hungarian player had to beat his highest and better Portugal counterpart (Krocskó-Cunha-Silva). Contrary to the expectations these two matches was won by Hungary and was completed by the third win at the fourt rubber by Sándor Noszály over Joao Cunha-Silva (the two frontmen). The group advanced again to the play-offs (called World Group - Qualifying 1st round).
The biggest accomplishment of this team was the qualification to the World Group in a Play-off tie against the Australian team, whose rank and seed weren't determined by the actual Davis Cup rules, can be described the best by their flawless performance in the play-offs (thus this marked the first time for them to ever falling out of the World Group) and by the total Davis Cup champion titles they'd got (26 final victories, more than any other nation). World number one doubles partners Mark Woodforde-Todd Woodbridge (whose singles rank were #39-#36 respectively) were accompanied by Patrick Rafter (#46), Mark Philippoussis (#84) and coach John Newcombe
John Newcombe
John David Newcombe, AO, OBE is a former World No. 1 tennis player.-Biography:He won seven Grand Slam singles titles, A natural athlete, Newcombe played several sports as a boy until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962, and 1963 and was a member of...
and Tony Roche
Tony Roche
Anthony "Tony" Dalton Roche is a former professional Australian tennis player, native of Tarcutta. He played junior tennis in the New South Wales regional city of Wagga Wagga. He won one Grand Slam singles title and twelve Grand Slam doubles titles. He is also very well known for coaching...
to Hungary. They left out of the stack 1993 finalist member Richard Fromberg
Richard Fromberg
Richard James Fromberg is a former professional tennis player from Australia.Fromberg began playing tennis at the age of 10. In 1987, he reached the Australian Open Junior finals in both singles and doubles. He turned professional in 1988...
(who became active again after two years break) and Jason Stoltenberg
Jason Stoltenberg
Jason Stoltenberg is a former professional tennis player from Australia.Stoltenberg began playing tennis at age ten on an antbed court where his father owned a cotton farm in the Far West of New South Wales. In 1987, he won the boys' singles title at the Australian Open and was ranked the World No...
due to his shoulder injury.
The most anticipated Hungarian player was Sándor Noszály who reached the semifinals of Bucharest Open - part of ATP International series - after defeating Alberto Costa
Alberto Costa
Alberto Bernardes Costa was the Portuguese Minister of Justice from 12 March 2005 to 26 October 2009.- References :...
and Sergi Bruguera
Sergi Bruguera
Sergi Bruguera i Torner is a former professional tennis player from Spain. He is best remembered for winning consecutive men's singles titles at the French Open in 1993 and 1994.-Career:...
. He was also at his peak on the world rankings at the 95th position. He remembered ten years after as arriving tired to his first match because he had 5 days of rest after the aforementioned Romanian tournament. He was joined by József Krocskó (#192), who called himself a "Davis Cup specialist", a name referring to his better results when it came to represent his country. Finally the Köves/Márkovits duo was added to the roster.
Before the start of the tie it was revealed that the announced line-up for the Aussies changed when Newcombe left Rafter out of the active players list because the Hungarian clay court doesn't favored him as officially been explained. According to affiliates of the Australian delegation the reason behind the decision was the confrontation of Rafter and the coaches caused by the filthy speech and disrespectful behaviour he showed during a training where he also smashed his racquet. The Hungarian captain expressed his thoughts that the heavy ball would hopefully kill the serve-and-volley style of the opponents and now that Woodbridge jumped in as flagship of their team the third match would prove to be too much for him. He also added the opponents are vulnerable on the baseline game.
The Friday first match happened upon predictions by Philippoussis taking the rubber easily in 3 sets 106 minutes. The next match was a decisive one since the Hungarian didn't want to rely on the doubles match. Krocskó started well against Woodbridge taking the lead in the first set serving for a 5-2 40/15, he lost it together with the set to 7-5. He eventually won the match by winning the consecutive three sets allowing his opponent only 6 games 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. After the match Woodbridge blaimed the unusual cold weather, while Krocskó highlighted his aggressive style. At the Saturday doubles action the Hungarian pair advanced to 2-0 within 82 minutes over the multiple Grand Slam champions but the latter team took big effort to turn the tide and grabbed the victory. The Hungarians admitted that they became tired in the middle of the match while the Woodies
The Woodies
The Woodies was a nickname given to a successful men's tennis doubles team. The two members of the team were Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde....
commented on their initial weak as a result of Woodforde's birthday party just before the beginning of the day. The Sunday schedule say the comeback of the Hungarian team from 2-1 to 2-3 as the three and half hour long rise and fall match of the two highest ranked players was won by Noszály despite Woodbridge having 3 break points at 3-3, which could have given him the chance to serve out the match. The confident play of Krocskó in the decider meant the end of Australia's permanent successes in the World Group and Hungary being promoted into it for the second time.
In the first round of the 1996 Davis Cup World Group they faced the Czech Republic the actual semifinalists of the year. Their opponents enlisted Daniel Vacek
Daniel Vacek
Daniel Vacek is a former tennis player from Czechoslovakia and the Czechia who turned professional in 1990.Vacek represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was defeated in the second round...
(#26), Petr Korda
Petr Korda
Petr Korda is a former professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. He is best known for winning the Australian Open in 1998 and for testing positive for the banned substance, nandrolone, following a match at Wimbledon that same year.-Career:Korda was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia.He first...
(#27) and David Cup debutant newcomer Jiri Novak
Jirí Novák
Jiří Novák is a former Czech tennis player, who was born in Zlín, Czechoslovakia but resides nowadays in Monte Carlo, Monaco.-Career:Novák turned professional in 1993 and won 7 singles and 18 doubles titles during his career, winning $7,614,063 in prize money. For six years, he was the...
(#40) giving the Hungarians no chance with a walloping 5-0 victory in Plzen, Czech Republic.
They had to defend the World Group membership against up-and-coming Russia
Russia Davis Cup team
The Russia Davis Cup team represents Russia in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the Russian Tennis Federation. The team started playing in 1993....
headed by Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002...
(#5). The Hungarian team had been saved by a second zero defeat thanks to Sávolt Attila the newest player of the team, who won the fifth match (vs. former top ten Andrei Chesnokov
Andrei Chesnokov
Andrei Eduardovich Chesnokov is a former professional tennis player from Russia.Chesnokov's highest singles ranking was World No. 9 in 1991. The biggest tournament victories of his career came at the Monte Carlo Open in 1990, and at the Canadian Open in 1991 .Chesnokov's best performance at a...
) shortened to two won sets due to irreversible 4-0 Russian lead. It also marked the retirement of Sándor Noszály who lost in his final match partnering Gábor Köves to Kafelnikov/Olhovski. Thus Hungary was eliminated from the Group for the second time.
Recent years (1997-2010)
Since then the Hungarians set several inhouse records such as Longest Tie Break(22 Points, 12/10 in favor of Hungary) in the fifth rubber of the 5-0 first round meeting with MonacoMonaco Davis Cup team
The Monaco Davis Cup team represents Monaco in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Fédération Monegasque de Lawn Tennis.Monaco currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group II. They reached European Zone semifinals in 1972.-History:...
in 2001, the Longest Tie Duration (versus Luxembourg hallmarked by Gilles Müller
Gilles Müller
Gilles Müller is a Luxembourgish professional tennis player. He was a US Open junior champion and is the most successful male tennis player in the history of his country...
) in a 2002 match-up, the Longest Winning Run in Ties between 2003-'04 (Estonia
Estonia Davis Cup team
The Estonia Davis Cup team represents Estonia in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Estonian Tennis Association.Estonia currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group II. They have not advanced past the first round of Group II in their 5 appearances.-History:Estonia...
, Madagascar
Madagascar Davis Cup team
The Madagascar Davis Cup team represents Madagascar in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Fédération Malgache de Tennis.Madagascar currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group III. They finished 4th in Group III in 2001 and 2002....
, Namibia
Namibia Davis Cup team
The Namibia Davis Cup team represents Namibia in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Namibia Tennis Association.Namibia currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group III. They finished 4th in Group III in 2004....
, Lithuania
Lithuania Davis Cup team
The Lithuania Davis Cup team represents Lithuania in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Lithuanian Tennis Association.Lithuania has never been a tennis country - no tennis player from Lithuania entered ATP top 500 until 2007. However, the situation is changing in recent years...
), Longest Rubber Duration (4 Hours 31 Minutes during the 3-2 win over Bulgaria
Bulgaria Davis Cup team
The Bulgaria Davis Cup team represents Bulgaria in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the Bulgarian Tennis Federation.Bulgaria currently competes in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group II...
) in 2006 and the Most Decisive Victory in tie against Greece
Greece Davis Cup team
The Greece Davis Cup team represents Greece in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Hellenic Tennis Federation.Greece currently compete in Europe Zone Group III. They have never competed in the World Group, but reached the European Zone quarterfinals three times.-History:Greece...
in 2008
2008 Davis Cup
The 2008 Davis Cup was the 97th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. Sixteen teams participated in the World Group and more than one hundred others took part in different regional groups. The first matches were played on February 8–10...
. Hungary was degraded to Group II in 1997 after being defeated by Ukraine
Ukraine Davis Cup team
The Ukraine Davis Cup team represents Ukraine in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Ukrainian Tennis Federation.-History:Ukraine competed in its first Davis Cup in 1993. Ukraine currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group II. They have reached the Group I quarter-finals...
3-2. In 1999 they leveled up again but only for one year, in which they had two defeats to Andrei Pavel
Andrei Pavel
Andrei Pavel is a tennis coach and former professional tennis player from Romania. He is currently coaching former world No. 1 and the current world No. 15 of the WTA, Jelena Janković.-Career:...
's Romania
Romania Davis Cup team
The Romania Davis Cup team represents Romania in Davis Cup tennis competition , being governed by the Romanian Tennis Federation and currently competes in the 2011 Davis Cup World Group.Romania has finished as runners-up three times...
and Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Kalervo Nieminen is a professional tennis player from Finland.His highest ranking is 13th, which was achieved on July 10, 2006. He has won one ATP singles title and two doubles titles in his career so far. His best performances in Grand Slam tournaments have been reaching the quarter-finals...
's Finland
Finland Davis Cup team
The Finland Davis Cup team represents Finland in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Suomen Tennisliitto.Finland currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group I. They have reached the World Group Play-offs three times. In 1999, they came within one set of...
. Hungary currently competes in the Europe/Africa Group II and in 11 July 2010
avoided relegation against Macedonia.In 2011 the team advanced to the play-off of Europe/Africa Group II after two successful ties against Cyprus
Cyprus Davis Cup team
The Cyprus Davis Cup team represents Cyprus in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Cyprus Tennis Federation.Cyprus currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group II. They began at the Group I level, and have yet to return.-History:...
and Belarus
Belarus Davis Cup team
The Belarus Davis Cup team represents Belarus in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Belarus Tennis Association.In 2007, Belarus competed in the World Group for the 4th successive year. Until then it was the only team that never relegated from the World Group...
before failing to be promoted against Great Britain
Great Britain Davis Cup team
The Great Britain Davis Cup team represents the United Kingdom in Davis Cup tennis competition and is controlled by the Lawn Tennis Association. The United Kingdom played in the very first International Lawn Tennis Challenge...
led by Andy Murray in singles and Fleming
Colin Fleming
Colin Fleming is a British professional tennis player who lives in Linlithgow.He was selected for 2009 Great Britain Davis Cup team....
-Hutchins
Ross Hutchins
Ross Dan Hutchins is a British professional tennis player, known best as a doubles player. Hutchins was born in Wimbledon, a location synonymous with tennis. Having turned professional in 2002, he enjoyed success on the Challenger circuit and broke through to the ATP Tour in late 2007...
in doubles.