This film is part of Free

Torquay interviews with US and UK women's tennis teams

Sue Barker competes in a tennis match in the lead up to the US v. UK Women's Wightman Cup

News 1975 4 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for South West Film and Television Archive

Overview

British tennis pro Sue Barker competes in a local match, held in Torquay for the run up to the Wightman Cup. The International Tennis Federation governs tennis rules and codes of conduct worldwide. The late 70s Pro circuits were governed by the Men’s and Women’s International Professional Tennis council. Representatives of ITF, oversee the international calendar, training and supervision of tour officials.

The councils work closely with the ATP and WITA, who maintain rankings that provide the basis for entry into any tournament. The main competitions are the Davis Cup, Federation Cup, and Wightman Cup. The Davis Cup consists of five matches played over three days, The Davis Cup draw was played in two zones from 1923 through 1965 and in four zones from 1966 through 1980. 1981 saw the top 16 teams compete in a World Group with participating nations in four zones. The Federation Cup inaugurated in 1963, is contested at one site over a one-week period, each series consisting of three matches: two singles and a double. The Wightman Cup alternates between US and British sites and consists of best-of-seven matches.