The Davis Cup Showcased in Madrid World Duty Free Store

The Davis Cup, probably one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world, which began in 1900 as a challenge between Great Britain and the United States, is now the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knockout format.

This year, however, the Davis Cup inaugurates a new format and the Davis Cup finals will take place in a city (Madrid in 2019) with the participation of 18 teams, a similar format to the football and basketball world cups.

At the time of writing this article, the competition had not started (it took place between November 18 and 24). However, World Duty Free customers going through Madrid’s Barajas Airport had the chance to experience a part of the Davis Cup glory first hand.

Any passenger visiting the airport between the end of October and November 15 was able to see the famous Davis Cup finals trophy inside the World Duty Free store, and the spectacular display became one of the main attractions of the airport. The trophy, popularly known as the “salad bowl,” rests on three bases, each decorated with plaques engraved with the names of the previous champions. The total structure weighs 105 kilograms and is more than a meter high!

Unlike other awards, for which a new cup is created each year for the winning team to keep, the Davis Cup trophy changes hands each year. Thus, the “salad bowl” that, for a couple of weeks, took pride of place in our World Duty Free store, has passed through the hands of the very best tennis players in history during the trophy’s lifetime of over 100 years.