ITF Press Release, November 28, 2023
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced the 2023 year-end Davis Cup Nations Rankings, with world champions Italy rising to No. 1 for the first time after their historic victory against Australia in Sunday’s final.
The Italian team, spearheaded by world No. 4 Jannik Sinner, recorded a 2-0 victory over Australia in front of more than 9,000 fans in Malaga on Sunday. Matteo Arnaldi overcame Alexei Popyrin in three sets in the opening match of the final before Sinner defeated Alex de Minaur in straight sets to seal victory for his nation.
Italy had recovered from 0-1 down against both Netherlands in the quarter-finals on Thursday and Serbia in the semi-finals on Saturday, with Sinner saving match points in his semi-final singles clash against Novak Djokovic before returning to court alongside Lorenzo Sonego to defeat Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic in doubles and secure Italy’s place in the final.
The ascent to the top of the rankings comes as reward for four seasons of steady progress – after exiting in the group stage at the 2019 Finals, Italy were quarter-finalists in the combined 2020-21 season and semi-finalists in 2022. The victory on Sunday marked Italy’s second Davis Cup title, and their first for 47 years, with their only previous triumph coming in 1976, when they defeated Chile in the final in Santiago.
Italy become the 10th nation to hold the No. 1 ranking since the Davis Cup Nations Rankings were introduced in December 2001 – after Australia, Argentina, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, France, Great
Britain, Russia and Spain.
🇮🇹 WORLD CHAMPIONS 🇮🇹
Italy win the #DavisCup for the first time in 47 years!#DavisCupFinals pic.twitter.com/Mij48Q9w83
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 26, 2023
2022 world champions Canada drop to No. 2 in the year-end rankings following their quarter-final finish this season, while Australia remain at No. 3, having now reached back-to-back Davis Cup finals. By reaching the final this season, both Italy and Australia secured automatic qualification for the 2024 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage.
Serbia’s semi-final finish sees them rise two places to No. 5, re-entering the Top 5 in the rankings for the first time since 2015. Meanwhile, Finland, who fell to Australia in the first semi-final tie on Friday, finish the year at No. 12 – their highest-ever ranking and 16 places better than their position in the 2022 year-end rankings.
The Davis Cup Nations Rankings are published following each competition week and reflect the performance of teams over the previous four seasons, with recent results weighted more heavily. The current rankings cover a five-year period due to the 2020 and 2021 seasons being combined as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Davis Cup Nations Rankings – 2023 year-end Top 10
1. Italy
2. Canada
3. Australia
4. Spain
5. Serbia
6. Croatia
7. Great Britain
8. Germany
9. Netherlands
10. Czechia
