ITF launches Virtual Tour of Davis Cup trophy

ITF Press Release, Nov 30, 2011: The ITF launches Virtual Tour of the Davis Cup trophy ahead of the 2011 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final between Spain and Argentina, being played at the Olympic Stadium in Seville on 2-4 December. To view the Virtual Tour, visit the official Davis Cup website.

The Virtual Tour showcases the Davis Cup trophy within an interactive 360-degree design that rotates to allow fans to explore the entire image. Visitors can learn more about the history of Davis Cup by clicking on any of the engraved plaques to display the names of the nations and players from each Final. The Virtual Tour also includes audio histories of each Final provided by the Tennis Radio Network.

The Davis Cup trophy was donated by the competition’s founder Dwight Davis in 1900 as the prize for an international challenge match between USA and British Isles. Davis’s international challenge is now the largest annual international team competition in sport and the Davis Cup trophy has grown along with the competition that bears its name.

Made by Shreve, Crump and Low of Boston, Massachusetts, the Davis Cup trophy was originally a lone sterling silver punchbowl. The three plinths have since been added to accommodate the engraved plaques. The trophy is currently 110cm high, 107cm in diameter at its widest point, and weighs 105kg.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “The Davis Cup is one of the most iconic trophies in world sport. The Virtual Tour displays its magnitude in a way that has never been seen before, giving fans the opportunity to explore the detailed architecture and share the wonderful history of Davis Cup.”

The ITF worked together with Spherical Images to create the Virtual Tour of the Davis Cup trophy. Based in London, Spherical Images are interactive photography specialists with a client list that includes The Times, BBC and London 2012.

Spherical Images Director Henry Stuart said: “The Davis Cup trophy photography project was technically a huge challenge. We had to photograph the trophy as a whole from every angle, and include a close-up of each individual plaque. We used specialist jewellery photographers to ensure the silver was truly represented, and also had to deal with weather changes, clay on the court and difficult reflections to achieve the final result.”

Stuart added: “Due to the unique nature of the interactivity of the plaques and the need to launch audio, we had to build a custom player and interface to show this project online. It was a pleasure to work on such a prestigious trophy, and be able to share that experience, through the 360-degree image, with tennis fans around the world.”

About Davis Cup

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the largest annual international team competition in sport with 121 nations taking part in 2011. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Davis Cup. International sponsors are Turismo Madrid (Official Tourist Destination), HP (Official Technology Sponsor), Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Hugo Boss (Official Men’s Fashion Clothing Sponsor), Adecco (Official HR Partner) and NH Hoteles (Official Hotel). Wilson Sporting Goods (Official Ball) is an international partner. Follow all the action on www.daviscup.com and www.copadavis.com.

DRAW

The ITF has announced the draw for the 2011 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Final between Spain and Argentina, to be played in Seville on 2-4 December. Play is scheduled to start at 14:00 (13:00 GMT) on Friday, 16:00 (15:00 GMT) on Saturday and 13:00 (12:00 GMT) on Sunday.

Live scoring for the Final will be available on the official Davis Cup website throughout the weekend, in addition to live radio commentary, video streaming, game-by-game text updates, match reports, interviews, blogs, photos and scorecards. Follow all the action from Seville on www.daviscup.com and www.copadavis.com.

The ITF has recently launched a Davis Cup Supporter Survey which will run until the start of 2012 on the official Davis Cup website. The purpose is to learn more about the people who make Davis Cup special – the fans – with the information helping the ITF to promote the competition and attract commercial partners. Fans who complete the survey will be entered into a prize draw for tickets to any World Group tie in 2012 (full terms and conditions are on the website).

Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the largest annual international team competition in sport with 130 nations entered in 2011. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Davis Cup. International sponsors are Turismo Madrid (Official Tourist Destination), HP (Official Technology Sponsor), Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Hugo Boss (Official Men’s Fashion Clothing Sponsor), Adecco (Official HR Partner) and NH Hoteles (Official Hotel). Wilson Sporting Goods (Official Ball) is an international partner. This is the 99th Davis Cup Final, with the 100th final taking place in 2012 at the start of the ITF centenary celebrations in 2013.

WORLD GROUP FINAL

SPAIN v ARGENTINA

Venue: Olympic Stadium, Seville (clay – indoors)

Friday

Rafael Nadal (ESP) v Juan Monaco (ARG)

David Ferrer (ESP) v Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)

Saturday

Feliciano Lopez / Fernando Verdasco (ESP) v David Nalbandian / Eduardo Schwank (ARG)

Sunday

Rafael Nadal (ESP) v Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)

David Ferrer (ESP) v Juan Monaco (ARG)