1973 Davis Cup
The 1973 Davis Cup was the 62nd edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 53 teams entered the competition, 31 in the Europe Zone, 12 in the Americas Zone, and 10 in the Eastern Zone. For the first time, preliminary rounds were used in every zone, effectively giving byes through the first two rounds of competition to the previous year's finalists from the American and Eastern zones, and to the previous year's semifinalists from the European zones. This year's competition also marked the first time  that professional tennis players were allowed to compete. The United States defeated Chile in the Americas Inter-Zonal final, Australia defeated India in the Eastern Zone final, and Czechoslovakia and Romania were the winners of the two Europe Zones, defeating the Soviet Union and Italy respectively. In the Inter-Zonal Zone, Australia defeated Czechoslovakia and the United States defeated Romania in the semifinals. Australia then defeated the United States in the final, breaking the defending champions' 5-year winning run. The final was held at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio, United States on 30 November-2 December. It marked the  first time that the final was held indoors. Americas Zone. Americas Inter-Zonal Final. United States vs. Chile Eastern Zone. Final. India vs. Australia Europe Zone. Zone A. Final. Romania vs. Soviet Union Zone B. Final. Czechoslovakia vs. Italy Inter-Zonal Zone. Semifinals. Australia vs. Czechoslovakia United States vs. Romania Final. United States vs. Australia