# 1981 Davis Cup World Group

The World Group was the highest level of Davis Cup competition in 1981. It was the first edition of the newly formed 16-team World Group and a move to a tiered system including promotion and relegation. The original 16 teams to compete were chosen through the previous year's results, with teams that reached the 1980 Zonal semifinals chosen to compete in the inaugural bracket. The first-round losers would play in the Davis Cup World Group Relegation Play-offs, with the four losers relegated to their respective Zonal competitions the following year and replaced by the four winners of the current year's Zonal competitions.
Czechoslovakia were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
The United States won the title, defeating Argentina in the final, 3–1. The final was held at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States from 11 to 13 December. It was the US team's 27th Davis Cup title overall.

## Participating teams

Participating teams :
| Argentina | Australia | Brazil | Czechoslovakia |
| France | Great Britain | Italy | Japan |
| Mexico | New Zealand | Romania | South Korea |
| Sweden | Switzerland | United States | West Germany |

### Draw

| First round 6–8 March | First round 6–8 March | First round 6–8 March | Quarterfinals 9–12 July | Quarterfinals 9–12 July | Quarterfinals 9–12 July | Semifinals 2–4 October | Semifinals 2–4 October | Semifinals 2–4 October | Final 11–13 December | Final 11–13 December | Final 11–13 December |
| Munich, West Germany (indoor carpet) | Munich, West Germany (indoor carpet) | Munich, West Germany (indoor carpet) | | | | | | | | | |
| West Germany | West Germany | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| West Germany | West Germany | 2 | Timișoara, Romania (hard) | Timișoara, Romania (hard) | Timișoara, Romania (hard) | | | | | | |
| Argentina | Argentina | 3 | Timișoara, Romania (hard) | Timișoara, Romania (hard) | Timișoara, Romania (hard) | | | | | | |
| Argentina | Argentina | 3 | Argentina | Argentina | 3 | | | | | | |
| Timișoara, Romania (indoor hard) | Timișoara, Romania (indoor hard) | Timișoara, Romania (indoor hard) | Argentina | Argentina | 3 | | | | | | |
| Timișoara, Romania (indoor hard) | Timișoara, Romania (indoor hard) | Timișoara, Romania (indoor hard) | Romania | Romania | 2 | | | | | | |
| Romania | Romania | 3 | Romania | Romania | 2 | | | | | | |
| Romania | Romania | 3 | | | | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | | | |
| Brazil | Brazil | 2 | | | | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay) | | | |
| Brazil | Brazil | 2 | | | | Argentina | Argentina | 5 | | | |
| Brighton, United Kingdom (indoor carpet) | Brighton, United Kingdom (indoor carpet) | Brighton, United Kingdom (indoor carpet) | | | | Argentina | Argentina | 5 | | | |
| Brighton, United Kingdom (indoor carpet) | Brighton, United Kingdom (indoor carpet) | Brighton, United Kingdom (indoor carpet) | | | | Great Britain | Great Britain | 0 | | | |
| Great Britain | Great Britain | 3 | | | | Great Britain | Great Britain | 0 | | | |
| Great Britain | Great Britain | 3 | Christchurch, New Zealand (carpet) | Christchurch, New Zealand (carpet) | Christchurch, New Zealand (carpet) | | | | | | |
| Italy | Italy | 2 | Christchurch, New Zealand (carpet) | Christchurch, New Zealand (carpet) | Christchurch, New Zealand (carpet) | | | | | | |
| Italy | Italy | 2 | Great Britain | Great Britain | 4 | | | | | | |
| Seoul, South Korea (clay) | Seoul, South Korea (clay) | Seoul, South Korea (clay) | Great Britain | Great Britain | 4 | | | | | | |
| Seoul, South Korea (clay) | Seoul, South Korea (clay) | Seoul, South Korea (clay) | New Zealand | New Zealand | 1 | | | | | | |
| South Korea | South Korea | 0 | New Zealand | New Zealand | 1 | | | | | | |
| South Korea | South Korea | 0 | | | | | | | Cincinnati, OH, United States (indoor carpet) | Cincinnati, OH, United States (indoor carpet) | Cincinnati, OH, United States (indoor carpet) |
| New Zealand | New Zealand | 5 | | | | | | | Cincinnati, OH, United States (indoor carpet) | Cincinnati, OH, United States (indoor carpet) | Cincinnati, OH, United States (indoor carpet) |
| New Zealand | New Zealand | 5 | | | | | | | Argentina | Argentina | 1 |
| Yokohama, Japan (indoor carpet) | Yokohama, Japan (indoor carpet) | Yokohama, Japan (indoor carpet) | | | | | | | Argentina | Argentina | 1 |
| Yokohama, Japan (indoor carpet) | Yokohama, Japan (indoor carpet) | Yokohama, Japan (indoor carpet) | | | | | | | United States | United States | 3 |
| Japan | Japan | 0 | | | | | | | United States | United States | 3 |
| Japan | Japan | 0 | Båstad, Sweden (clay) | Båstad, Sweden (clay) | Båstad, Sweden (clay) | | | | | | |
| Sweden | Sweden | 5 | Båstad, Sweden (clay) | Båstad, Sweden (clay) | Båstad, Sweden (clay) | | | | | | |
| Sweden | Sweden | 5 | Sweden | Sweden | 1 | | | | | | |
| Lyon, France (indoor carpet) | Lyon, France (indoor carpet) | Lyon, France (indoor carpet) | Sweden | Sweden | 1 | | | | | | |
| Lyon, France (indoor carpet) | Lyon, France (indoor carpet) | Lyon, France (indoor carpet) | Australia | Australia | 3 | | | | | | |
| France | France | 2 | Australia | Australia | 3 | | | | | | |
| France | France | 2 | | | | Portland, OR, United States (indoor carpet) | Portland, OR, United States (indoor carpet) | Portland, OR, United States (indoor carpet) | | | |
| Australia | Australia | 3 | | | | Portland, OR, United States (indoor carpet) | Portland, OR, United States (indoor carpet) | Portland, OR, United States (indoor carpet) | | | |
| Australia | Australia | 3 | | | | Australia | Australia | 0 | | | |
| Zürich, Switzerland (indoor hard) | Zürich, Switzerland (indoor hard) | Zürich, Switzerland (indoor hard) | | | | Australia | Australia | 0 | | | |
| Zürich, Switzerland (indoor hard) | Zürich, Switzerland (indoor hard) | Zürich, Switzerland (indoor hard) | | | | United States | 5 | |
| Switzerland | Switzerland | 2 | | | | United States | 5 | |
| Switzerland | Switzerland | 2 | New York, NY, United States (hard) | New York, NY, United States (hard) | New York, NY, United States (hard) | | | | | |
| Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 3 | New York, NY, United States (hard) | New York, NY, United States (hard) | New York, NY, United States (hard) | | | | | |
| Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 3 | Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 1 | | | | | |
| Carlsbad, CA, United States (hard) | Carlsbad, CA, United States (hard) | Carlsbad, CA, United States (hard) | Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovakia | 1 | | | | | |
| Carlsbad, CA, United States (hard) | Carlsbad, CA, United States (hard) | Carlsbad, CA, United States (hard) | United States | United States | 4 | | | | | |
| United States | United States | 3 | United States | United States | 4 | | | | | |
| Mexico | Mexico | 2 | | | | | | | | |

## First round
### West Germany vs. Argentina

| West Germany 2 | Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle, Munich, West Germany 6–8 March 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle, Munich, West Germany 6–8 March 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Argentina 3 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Rolf Gehring Guillermo Vilas 2 6 3 6 6 8       2 Ulrich Pinner José Luis Clerc 3 6 6 3 6 4 6 3     3 Rolf Gehring / Christoph Zipf José Luis Clerc / Guillermo Vilas 3 6 6 4 4 6 3 6     4 Rolf Gehring José Luis Clerc 6 1 4 6 6 3 6 1     5 Ulrich Pinner Guillermo Vilas 3 6 2 6 6 3 1 6 ||||

### Romania vs. Brazil

| Romania 3 | Timișoara, Romania 6–8 March 1981 Hard (indoors) | Timișoara, Romania 6–8 March 1981 Hard (indoors) | Brazil 2 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Florin Segărceanu Carlos Kirmayr 4 6 7 5 6 2 6 2     2 Andrei Dîrzu Thomaz Koch 2 6 4 6 1 6       3 Andrei Dîrzu / Florin Segărceanu Carlos Kirmayr / Thomaz Koch 0 6 8 6 6 4 7 5     4 Florin Segărceanu Thomaz Koch 4 6 6 3 7 5 4 6 6 0   5 Andrei Dîrzu Carlos Kirmayr 2 6 0 6 ||||

### Great Britain vs. Italy

| Great Britain 3 | Brighton Centre, Brighton, United Kingdom 6–8 March 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Brighton Centre, Brighton, United Kingdom 6–8 March 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Italy 2 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Buster Mottram Adriano Panatta 9 7 3 6 6 3 6 4     2 Richard Lewis Corrado Barazzutti 4 6 6 1 8 6 7 9 4 6   3 Andrew Jarrett / Jonathan Smith Paolo Bertolucci / Adriano Panatta 6 1 3 6 6 3 3 6 7 5   4 Richard Lewis Adriano Panatta 4 6 2 6 4 6       5 Buster Mottram Corrado Barazzutti 6 3 6 2 6 2 ||||

### South Korea vs. New Zealand

| South Korea 0 | Jang-Choong Tennis Court, Seoul, South Korea 6–8 March 1981 Clay | Jang-Choong Tennis Court, Seoul, South Korea 6–8 March 1981 Clay | New Zealand 5 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Jeon Chang-dae Chris Lewis 3 6 3 6 6 2 1 6     2 Jeon Young-dai Russell Simpson 1 6 2 6 2 6       3 Jeon Young-dai / Kim Bong-suk Chris Lewis / Russell Simpson 3 6 2 6 4 6       4 Jeon Chang-dae Chris Lewis 1 6 4 6 5 7       5 Jeon Young-dai Russell Simpson 2 6 6 8 0 6 ||||

### Japan vs. Sweden

| Japan 0 | Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium, Yokohama, Japan 6–8 March 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium, Yokohama, Japan 6–8 March 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Sweden 5 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Tsuyoshi Fukui Kjell Johansson 5 7 2 6 4 6       2 Jun Kamiwazumi Per Hjertquist 3 6 5 7 6 8       3 Kenichi Hirai / Jun Kamiwazumi Anders Järryd / Hans Simonsson 0 6 6 8 2 6       4 Tsuyoshi Fukui Per Hjertquist 4 6 2 6 0 6       5 Shigeyuki Nishio Kjell Johansson 3 6 6 3 2 6 1 6 ||||

### France vs. Australia

| France 2 | Palais des Sports, Lyon, France 6–8 March 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Palais des Sports, Lyon, France 6–8 March 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Australia 3 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Yannick Noah Peter McNamara 6 4 6 8 3 6 6 3 3 6   2 Pascal Portes Kim Warwick 4 6 6 2 9 7 6 4     3 Yannick Noah / Pascal Portes Mark Edmondson / Kim Warwick 3 6 2 6 7 5 4 6     4 Pascal Portes Peter McNamara 3 6 0 6 2 6       5 Yannick Noah Kim Warwick 6 2 7 5 10 8 ||||

### Switzerland vs. Czechoslovakia

| Switzerland 2 | Saalsporthalle, Zurich, Switzerland 6–8 March 1981 Hard (indoors) | Saalsporthalle, Zurich, Switzerland 6–8 March 1981 Hard (indoors) | Czechoslovakia 3 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Heinz Günthardt Ivan Lendl 3 6 5 7 0 6       2 Roland Stadler Tomáš Šmíd 2 6 1 6 3 6       3 Heinz Günthardt / Markus Günthardt Ivan Lendl / Tomáš Šmíd 6 3 3 6 2 6 6 3 6 4   4 Heinz Günthardt Tomáš Šmíd 5 7 2 6 6 8       5 Roland Stadler Ivan Lendl 6 6          retired ||||

### United States vs. Mexico

| United States 3 | La Costa Resort and Spa, Carlsbad, CA, United States 6–8 March 1981 Hard | La Costa Resort and Spa, Carlsbad, CA, United States 6–8 March 1981 Hard | Mexico 2 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 John McEnroe Jorge Lozano 6 3 6 1 6 3       2 Roscoe Tanner Raúl Ramírez 6 3 6 8 3 6 10 8 3 6   3 Marty Riessen / Sherwood Stewart Jorge Lozano / Raúl Ramírez 4 6 6 3 7 9 6 0 3 6   4 Roscoe Tanner Jorge Lozano 6 2 6 2 6 3       5 John McEnroe Raúl Ramírez 6 4 6 3 6 0 ||||

## Quarterfinals
### Romania vs. Argentina

| Romania 2 | Timișoara, Romania 9–11 July 1981 Hard | Timișoara, Romania 9–11 July 1981 Hard | Argentina 3 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Andrei Dîrzu Guillermo Vilas 4 6 4 6 3 6       2 Florin Segărceanu José Luis Clerc 4 6 2 6 0 6       3 Andrei Dîrzu / Florin Segărceanu José Luis Clerc / Guillermo Vilas 4 6 10 8 6 3 7 5     4 Florin Segărceanu Guillermo Vilas 4 6 4 6 6 3 1 6     5 Andrei Dîrzu Ricardo Cano 4 6 6 2        retired ||||

### New Zealand vs. Great Britain

| New Zealand 1 | Wilding Park, Christchurch, New Zealand 9–11 July 1981 Carpet | Wilding Park, Christchurch, New Zealand 9–11 July 1981 Carpet | Great Britain 4 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Russell Simpson Richard Lewis 6 4 6 4 4 6 4 6 6 8   2 Chris Lewis Buster Mottram 6 4 4 6 6 4 7 9 3 6   3 Chris Lewis / Russell Simpson Andrew Jarrett / Jonathan Smith 3 6 4 6 4 6       4 Chris Lewis Richard Lewis 2 6 2 6         5 Russell Simpson Jonathan Smith 4 6 11 9 6 2 ||||

### Sweden vs. Australia

| Sweden 1 | Båstad Tennis Stadium, Båstad, Sweden 10–12 July 1981 Clay | Båstad Tennis Stadium, Båstad, Sweden 10–12 July 1981 Clay | Australia 3 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Per Hjertquist Paul McNamee 3 6 6 8 1 6       2 Mats Wilander Peter McNamara 4 6 2 6 1 6       3 Anders Järryd / Hans Simonsson Peter McNamara / Paul McNamee 7 9 3 6 8 6 6 2 6 2   4 Mats Wilander Paul McNamee 6 1 6 2 4 6 0 6 4 6   5 Per Hjertquist Peter McNamara 6 6         not completed ||||

### United States vs. Czechoslovakia

| United States 4 | USTA National Tennis Center, New York, NY, United States 9–11 July 1981 Hard | USTA National Tennis Center, New York, NY, United States 9–11 July 1981 Hard | Czechoslovakia 1 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 John McEnroe Ivan Lendl 4 6 12 14 5 7       2 Jimmy Connors Tomáš Šmíd 6 3 6 1 6 2       3 Bob Lutz / Stan Smith Ivan Lendl / Tomáš Šmíd 9 7 6 3 6 2       4 John McEnroe Tomáš Šmíd 6 3 6 1 6 4       5 Jimmy Connors Ivan Lendl 7 5 6 4 ||||

## Semifinals
### Argentina vs. Great Britain

| Argentina 5 | Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina 2–4 October 1981 Clay | Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina 2–4 October 1981 Clay | Great Britain 0 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 José Luis Clerc Richard Lewis 6 4 6 4 6 0       2 Guillermo Vilas Buster Mottram 6 3 6 1 6 1       3 José Luis Clerc / Guillermo Vilas Andrew Jarrett / Jonathan Smith 8 6 8 6 6 2       4 José Luis Clerc Buster Mottram 7 5 6 4         5 Guillermo Vilas Richard Lewis 6 0 6 3 ||||

### United States vs. Australia

| United States 5 | Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR, United States 2–4 October 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR, United States 2–4 October 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Australia 0 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 John McEnroe Mark Edmondson 6 3 6 4 6 2       2 Roscoe Tanner Peter McNamara 6 4 6 4 4 6 3 6 6 3   3 Peter Fleming / John McEnroe Phil Dent / Peter McNamara 8 6 6 4 8 6       4 John McEnroe Peter McNamara 9 7 6 0         5 Roscoe Tanner Mark Edmondson 4 6 6 2 6 3 ||||

## Final
### United States vs. Argentina

| United States 3 | Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, United States 11–13 December 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, United States 11–13 December 1981 Carpet (indoors) | Argentina 1 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 John McEnroe Guillermo Vilas 6 3 6 2 6 2       2 Roscoe Tanner José Luis Clerc 5 7 3 6 6 8       3 Peter Fleming / John McEnroe José Luis Clerc / Guillermo Vilas 6 3 4 6 6 4 4 6 11 9   4 John McEnroe José Luis Clerc 7 5 5 7 6 3 3 6 6 3   5 Roscoe Tanner Guillermo Vilas 11 10         not completed ||||

## Relegation play-offs

The first-round losers played in the Relegation Play-offs. The winners of the play-offs advanced to the 1982 Davis Cup World Group, and the losers were relegated to their respective Zonal Regions.

### Results summary

Date: 2–4 October
| Home team | Score | Visiting team | Location | Surface |
| Brazil | 2–3 | West Germany | São Paulo | Clay |
| Italy | 4–1 | South Korea | Sanremo | Clay |
| France | 4–1 | Japan | Paris | Clay |
| Mexico | 3–2 | Switzerland | Tijuana | Clay |
* France, Italy, Mexico and West Germany remain in the World Group in 1982.
* Brazil, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland are relegated to Zonal competition in 1982.

### Brazil vs. West Germany

| Brazil 2 | São Paulo, Brazil 2–4 October 1981 Clay | São Paulo, Brazil 2–4 October 1981 Clay | West Germany 3 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Thomaz Koch Ulrich Pinner 3 6 3 6 2 6       2 Carlos Kirmayr Peter Elter 7 5 6 2 3 6 6 2     3 Marcos Hocevar / Carlos Kirmayr Hans-Dieter Beutel / Christoph Zipf 8 6 4 6 3 6 11 13     4 Carlos Kirmayr Ulrich Pinner 6 2 11 13 21 19 6 3     5 Thomaz Koch Peter Elter 5 7 5 7 3 6 ||||

### Italy vs. South Korea

| Italy 4 | Sanremo, Italy 2–4 October 1981 Clay | Sanremo, Italy 2–4 October 1981 Clay | South Korea 1 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Corrado Barazzutti Lee Woo-ryong 6 0 6 2 6 3       2 Adriano Panatta Kim Choon-ho 6 4 6 4 7 5       3 Paolo Bertolucci / Adriano Panatta Kim Choon-ho / Song Dong-wook 6 2 7 5 6 4       4 Corrado Barazzutti Kim Choon-ho 6 2 6 8 2 6 6 2 1 6   5 Gianni Ocleppo Jeon Chang-dae 6 3 8 10 6 3 6 4 ||||

### France vs. Japan

| France 4 | Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France 2–4 October 1981 Clay | Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France 2–4 October 1981 Clay | Japan 1 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Gilles Moretton Tsuyoshi Fukui 6 1 6 4       retired  2 Thierry Tulasne Shinichi Sakamoto 6 0 6 0 6 0       3 Yannick Noah / Christophe Roger-Vasselin Tsuyoshi Fukui / Toru Yonezawa 8 6 6 2 6 4       4 Christophe Roger-Vasselin Shinichi Sakamoto 6 0 6 4 6 1       5 Thierry Tulasne Tsuyoshi Fukui 6 1 8 6 6 3 ||||

### Mexico vs. Switzerland

| Mexico 3 | Tijuana Country Club, Tijuana, Mexico 2–4 October 1981 Clay | Tijuana Country Club, Tijuana, Mexico 2–4 October 1981 Clay | Switzerland 2 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Raúl Ramírez Heinz Günthardt 6 4 6 2 6 1       2 Jorge Lozano Roland Stadler 4 6 6 4 4 6 5 7     3 Jorge Lozano / Raúl Ramírez Heinz Günthardt / Markus Günthardt 3 6 6 2 6 0 6 1     4 Raúl Ramírez Roland Stadler 6 1 6 2 6 3       5 Juan Hernández Ivan Dupasquier 4 6 4 6 ||||