 Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 30 Mar 2009 |  Photographer: Agnieszka Olszyna
Date: 15 Jun 2008 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 15 Jan 2008 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 15 Jun 2007 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 10 Nov 2005 |  Photographer: Maaike Smit
Date: 03 May 2006 |
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| 29 Apr 2009 | |
| 25 years of the Invacare World Team Cup: 1999-2009 |
In 1999, the name of the ITF's annual flagship wheelchair tennis team event was officially changed from Action World Team Cup to Invacare World Team Cup to reflect the broader interests of the Invacare Corporation. The Invacare World Team Cup had grown to such an extent that 41 entries were received for the men's event and qualification rounds were staged in three world regions; Slovakia (Europe/Africa), Puerto Rico (Americas) and Malaysia (Asia/Oceania). The following year 44 entries were received, with qualification rounds in the same world regions.
1999 also produced the biggest upset in the history of the Women's event. Australia's Daniela Di Toro and Branka Pupovac clinched a third-set tie break in the deciding doubles rubber against Esther Vergeer and Maaike Smit of the Netherlands 6-2 4-6 7-6(5) to capture the women's championship for Australia for the first time. Meanwhile, the unseeded Israelis captured the first of their two consecutive Quad titles.
A first for 2000 was the inclusion of a Junior division as Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and USA were invited to send teams to this first "demonstration" event, the USA triumphing over the Netherlands to claim the inaugural Junior Invacare World Team Cup title.
Great Britain and the Netherlands scored first time victories in the Quad and Junior events in Sion, Switzerland in 2001, while the 2002 Invacare World Team Cup in Italy gained another first with the support sponsorship of Camozzi. More history was made in 2003, as Japan became the first Asian nation to lift an Invacare World Team Cup title when taking the Men's event and Sweden became the first Scandinavian winner when taking the Junior title.
- ""Three years ago, when we won, I jumped in the moat at the Gateway Hotel. If we win this year I'll streak through the lobby naked with a blonde wig."
- David Hall (AUS)
The Invacare World Team Cup continued to make history in 2004, in Christchurch, New Zealand, as the teams competing in the Men's event were divided into two World Groups for the first time ever, with promotion and relegation places at stake.
Poland reached it’s first and only Invacare World Team Cup final to date in Men’s World Group 1, but was unable to prevent the Netherlands' from adding to previous Men's titles in 1999 and 2001.
The first ever Men's World Group 2 competition produced a host of nail-biting final set deciding doubles rubbers throughout, with third seeds the Slovak Republic edging one such contest against Argentina in the final to become the first ever World Group 2 champions.
Meanwhile, also in 2004 Israel became the first three-time winners of the Quad title.
In 2005 Belgium added their name to the list of nations to have won Invacare World Team Cup titles as Joachim Gerard and Mike Denayer secured victory in the Junior event.
Brazil became the first South American country to host the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event in 2006. In Brasilia, the Netherlands retained its men’s and women’s titles, the USA retained its quad title and Belgium won the junior event for a second time, meaning that for the first time in the event’s history, all four titles were successfully defended.
In 2007 the Invacare World Team Cup visited Scandinavia for the first time as Sweden’s men’s team secured the host nation its highest Invacare World Team Cup finish in the men’s event, when beating France 2-1 in the play-off for third and fourth places in World Group 1. Meanwhile, the Netherlands passed a landmark, with a 20th victory in 22 years of the women’s event.
The quad event reverted to a knock-out format in 2007, with the United States securing a fifth World Team Cup title to extend their record as the winning-most nation in the history of the quad event.
- ""It is different when you are playing for no money and your country. This is a different type of pressure that must be learned and appreciated. Patriotism is a good virus." !"
- Randy Snow (USA)
Sweden and Great Britain won their first ever Invacare World Team Cup Men’s World Group 1 and World Group 2 titles in Cremona, in 2008 as Italy hosted the event for the second time in seven years.
The Netherlands’ victory in the Quad event in Cremona was their first in that event and they therefore joined the United States as the only two nations to have won the Men, Women’s, Quad and Junior events in the 24-year history of the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event.
The 25th Anniversary of the Invacare World Team Cup in Nottingham, Great Britain in 2009 promises to be an extra special event befitting of the historic occasion. To add to the list of ‘firsts’ that the Invacare World Team Cup has regularly produced over the years, Nottingham becomes the first venue outside of the United States to host the Invacare World Team Cup on three occasions.
Meanwhile, there is little doubt that the 25th Invacare World Team Cup will provide as much drama and sporting excellence as any of the previous 24 events.
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