# 1953 Davis Cup

The 1953 Davis Cup was the 42nd edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 24 teams entered the Europe Zone, 6 teams entered the America Zone, and India was the sole competitor in the Eastern Zone. This year saw the first appearances in the competition of both Ceylon and a team representing the West Indies. For the first time play took place on the African continent, when the first-round Europe Zone tie between Egypt and Austria was held in Cairo.
The United States defeated Canada in the America Zone final, and Belgium defeated Denmark in the Europe Zone final. In the Inter-Zonal Zone, Belgium defeated India in the semifinal, and then lost to the United States in the final. In the Challenge Round the United States were defeated by the defending champions Australia. The final was played at Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on 28–31 December.

## America Zone
### Draw

| Quarterfinals 11–20 July | Quarterfinals 11–20 July | Quarterfinals 11–20 July | Semifinals 25 July–10 August | Semifinals 25 July–10 August | Semifinals 25 July–10 August | Final 14–16 September | Final 14–16 September | Final 14–16 September |
| Vancouver, Canada (grass) | Vancouver, Canada (grass) | Vancouver, Canada (grass) | | | | | | |
| Japan | Japan | 0 | | | | | | |
| Japan | Japan | 0 | Kingston, Jamaica (grass) | Kingston, Jamaica (grass) | Kingston, Jamaica (grass) | | | |
| United States | United States | 5 | Kingston, Jamaica (grass) | Kingston, Jamaica (grass) | Kingston, Jamaica (grass) | | | |
| United States | United States | 5 | United States | United States | 5 | | | |
| | | | Caribbean/West Indies | Caribbean/West Indies | 0 | | | |
| Caribbean/West Indies | Caribbean/West Indies | | Caribbean/West Indies | Caribbean/West Indies | 0 | | | |
| Caribbean/West Indies | Caribbean/West Indies | | | | | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) |
| bye | bye | | | | | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) |
| bye | bye | | | | | United States | United States | 5 |
| | | | | | | Canada | Canada | 0 |
| bye | bye | | | | | Canada | Canada | 0 |
| bye | bye | | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | | | |
| Cuba | Cuba | | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | | | |
| Cuba | Cuba | | Cuba | Cuba | 2 | | | |
| Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Cuba | Cuba | 2 | | | |
| Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Montreal, Canada (grass) | Canada | Canada | 3 | | | |
| Mexico | Mexico | 2 | Canada | Canada | 3 | | | |
| Canada | Canada | 3 | | | | | | |

### Final

Canada vs. United States
| Canada 0 | Mount Royal Tennis Club, Montreal, Canada 14–16 September 1953 Grass | Mount Royal Tennis Club, Montreal, Canada 14–16 September 1953 Grass | United States 5 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Henri Rochon Tony Trabert 2 6 3 6 6 8       2 Lorne Main Vic Seixas 1 6 1 6 4 6       3 Lorne Main / Paul Willey Vic Seixas / Tony Trabert 6 3 2 6 3 6 2 6     4 Paul Willey Straight Clark 5 7 2 6 0 6       5 Robert Bédard Tut Bartzen 4 6 5 7 6 1 0 6 ||||

## Europe Zone
### Draw

| First Round 24 April–5 May | First Round 24 April–5 May | First Round 24 April–5 May | Second Round 13–19 May | Second Round 13–19 May | Second Round 13–19 May | Quarterfinals 10–14 June | Quarterfinals 10–14 June | Quarterfinals 10–14 June | Semifinals 10–13 July | Semifinals 10–13 July | Semifinals 10–13 July | Final 18–20 July | Final 18–20 July | Final 18–20 July |
| West Germany | West Germany | | West Berlin | West Berlin | West Berlin | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | West Germany | West Germany | 3 | | | | | | | |
| South Africa | South Africa | w/o | South Africa | South Africa | 2 | Paris, France (clay) | Paris, France (clay) | Paris, France (clay) | | | | | | |
| Monaco | Monaco | | | | | West Germany | West Germany | 1 | | | | |
| France | France | | Zagreb, Yugoslavia | Zagreb, Yugoslavia | Zagreb, Yugoslavia | France | France | 4 | | | | |
| bye | bye | | France | France | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia | 5 | Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia | 1 | | | | Paris, France (clay) | Paris, France (clay) | Paris, France (clay) | | | |
| Switzerland | Switzerland | 0 | | | | | | | France | France | 1 | |
| Denmark | Denmark | | Vienna, Austria (clay) | Vienna, Austria (clay) | Vienna, Austria (clay) | | | | Denmark | Denmark | 4 | |
| bye | bye | | Denmark | Denmark | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| Egypt | Egypt | 1 | Austria | Austria | 0 | Copenhagen, Denmark (clay) | Copenhagen, Denmark (clay) | Copenhagen, Denmark (clay) | | | | | | |
| Austria | Austria | 4 | | | | Denmark | Denmark | 4 | | | | |
| Philippines | Philippines | | Helsinki, Finland | Helsinki, Finland | Helsinki, Finland | Philippines | Philippines | 1 | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Philippines | Philippines | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| Finland | Finland | 4 | Finland | Finland | 0 | | | | | | | Copenhagen, Denmark (clay) | Copenhagen, Denmark (clay) | Copenhagen, Denmark (clay) |
| Ireland | Ireland | 1 | | | | | | | | | | Denmark | Denmark | 2 |
| Spain | Spain | 5 | Barcelona, Spain (clay) | Barcelona, Spain (clay) | Barcelona, Spain (clay) | | | | | | | Belgium | Belgium | 3 |
| Israel | Israel | 0 | Spain | Spain | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Sweden | Sweden | 5 | Turin, Italy (clay) | Turin, Italy (clay) | Turin, Italy (clay) | | | | | | |
| Sweden | Sweden | | | | | Sweden | Sweden | 1 | | | | | | |
| Netherlands | Netherlands | 5 | Scheveningen, Netherlands (clay) | Scheveningen, Netherlands (clay) | Scheveningen, Netherlands (clay) | Italy | Italy | 4 | | | | | | |
| Ceylon | Ceylon | 0 | Netherlands | Netherlands | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Italy | Italy | 5 | | | | Brussels, Belgium | Brussels, Belgium | Brussels, Belgium | | | |
| Italy | Italy | | | | | | | | Italy | Italy | 2 | | | |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 0 | Oslo, Norway (clay) | Oslo, Norway (clay) | Oslo, Norway (clay) | | | | Belgium | Belgium | 3 | | | |
| Norway | Norway | 5 | Norway | Norway | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Great Britain | Great Britain | 5 | Brussels, Belgium (clay) | Brussels, Belgium (clay) | Brussels, Belgium (clay) | | | | | | |
| Great Britain | Great Britain | | | | | Great Britain | Great Britain | 1 | | | | | | |
| Brazil | Brazil | | Budapest, Hungary | Budapest, Hungary | Budapest, Hungary | Belgium | Belgium | 4 | | | | | | |
| Hungary | Hungary | w/o | Hungary | Hungary | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| bye | bye | | Belgium | Belgium | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| Belgium | Belgium | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Final

Denmark vs. Belgium
| Denmark 2 | Copenhagen, Denmark 18–20 July 1953 Clay | Copenhagen, Denmark 18–20 July 1953 Clay | Belgium 3 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Kurt Nielsen Jacques Brichant 6 1 7 5 3 6 3 6 6 3   2 Torben Ulrich Philippe Washer 6 4 4 6 5 7 1 6     3 Kurt Nielsen / Torben Ulrich Jacques Brichant / Philippe Washer 6 4 6 3 7 9 1 6 4 6   4 Torben Ulrich Jacques Brichant 5 7 7 5 3 6 3 6     5 Kurt Nielsen Philippe Washer 8 6 6 8 6 2 6 4 ||||

## Inter-Zonal Zone
### Draw

| Semifinals 3–5 December | Semifinals 3–5 December | Semifinals 3–5 December | Final 17–19 December | Final 17–19 December | Final 17–19 December |
| Perth, Australia (grass) | Perth, Australia (grass) | Perth, Australia (grass) | | | |
| EUR | Belgium | 5 | | | |
| EUR | Belgium | 5 | Brisbane, Australia (grass) | Brisbane, Australia (grass) | Brisbane, Australia (grass) |
| EAS | India | 0 | Brisbane, Australia (grass) | Brisbane, Australia (grass) | Brisbane, Australia (grass) |
| EAS | India | 0 | EUR | Belgium | 1 |
| | | | AME | United States | 4 |
| | bye | | AME | United States | 4 |
| AME | United States | | | | |

### Semifinals

Belgium vs. India
| Belgium 5 | Perth, Australia 3–5 December 1953 Grass | Perth, Australia 3–5 December 1953 Grass | India 0 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Philippe Washer Sumant Misra 6 3 6 4 6 3       2 Jacques Brichant Ramanathan Krishnan 3 6 3 6 6 4 6 3 6 0   3 Jacques Brichant / Philippe Washer Ramanathan Krishnan / Sumant Misra 6 8 6 3 7 5 7 5     4 Philippe Washer Ramanathan Krishnan 6 1 6 1 6 1       5 Jacques Brichant Sumant Misra 6 4 4 6 7 5 6 4 ||||

### Final

United States vs. Belgium
| United States 4 | Milton Courts, Brisbane, Australia 17–19 December 1953 Grass | Milton Courts, Brisbane, Australia 17–19 December 1953 Grass | Belgium 1 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Tony Trabert Philippe Washer 6 4 6 2 6 4       2 Vic Seixas Jacques Brichant 3 6 9 11 6 2 1 6     3 Bill Talbert / Tony Trabert Jacques Brichant / Philippe Washer 6 3 6 2 4 6 9 7     4 Tony Trabert Jacques Brichant 6 4 6 3 6 1       5 Vic Seixas Philippe Washer 6 2 7 5 8 6 ||||

## Challenge Round

Australia vs. United States
| Australia 3 | Kooyong Stadium, Melbourne, Australia 28–31 December 1953 Grass | Kooyong Stadium, Melbourne, Australia 28–31 December 1953 Grass | United States 2 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 1 Lew Hoad Vic Seixas 6 4 6 2 6 3       2 Ken Rosewall Tony Trabert 3 6 4 6 4 6       3 Rex Hartwig / Lew Hoad Vic Seixas / Tony Trabert 2 6 4 6 4 6       4 Lew Hoad Tony Trabert 13 11 6 3 2 6 3 6 7 5   5 Ken Rosewall Vic Seixas 6 2 2 6 6 3 6 4 ||||