Next tie 18-20 October 2013
Featuring in Europe/Africa Zone Group I this year for the first time in over 21 years, Russia bids to avoid further decline in the competition and remain in Group I when it takes on either South Africa or Slovenia in the 2nd round play-offs in October.
Last tie 5-7 April 2013
Russia missed out on a immediate return to the World Group after suffering a spectacular defeat to Great Britain in Coventry. Dmitry Tursunov and Evgeny Donskoy put Russia 2-0 up on day one after winning five set battles against Dan Evans and James Ward respectively, and, while the hosts might have expected to lose the doubles, few could have forseen the turn of events on the final day as Ward came back from two-sets-to-one down to defeat Tursunov and Evans dismantled Donskoy in straight sets.
History
Russia has won the title twice - in 2002 and 2006 - and finished runner-up on three further occasions. Until 1991, Russian players competed under the flag of USSR, and then CIS in 1992.
Records
The doubles rubber in the World Group semifinal between Russia and Argentina in 2002, featuring Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin against Lucas Arnold-Ker and David Nalbandian, is the longest recorded men's doubles match of all time, at 6 hours, 20 minutes. Meanwhile, Andrei Chesnokov was involved in the joint-longest set of a Davis Cup singles rubber - 46 games - in the European Zone semifinal between Russia and Netherlands in 1987.