Edition 64th | ||
The 1975 Davis Cup was the 64th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. 53 teams would enter the competition, 32 in the Europe Zone, 12 in the Americas Zone, and 9 in the Eastern Zone.
Contents
Chile defeated South Africa in the Americas Zone final, Australia defeated New Zealand in the Eastern Zone final, and Czechoslovakia and Sweden won the Europe Zones. In the Inter-Zonal Zone, Sweden defeated Chile and Czechoslovakia defeated Australia. Sweden defeated Czechoslovakia in the final, which was held inside the Kungliga Tennishallen in Stockholm, Sweden, on 19–21 December.
Preliminary Rounds
Main draw
Preliminary Rounds
Main draw
Americas Inter-Zonal Final
Preliminary Rounds
Main draw
Final
Qualifying Rounds
Preliminary Rounds
Main draw
Final
Qualifying Rounds
Preliminary Rounds
Main draw
Final
Controversy
The semifinal in Båstad, Sweden, between Sweden and Chile was played on September 19–21. This was two years after Augusto Pinochet's military coup in Chile and many wanted the match to be cancelled, in protest of the junta's violations of human rights, while others wanted sport and politics to remain separated.
Chilekommittén mobilized protests against the match. The call for the manifestation was issued on July 30, 1975. The slogan of the protests was Stoppa Matchen! ('Stop the match'). About 7,000 people took part in the protest. Hundreds of balloons, with names of political prisoners were released in the vicinity of the match venue, garded by a police force of 1,300. Through Chilean sports commentators on site, news about the protests reached Chile. A special issue of Chilebulletinen was produced for the protests, with 20,000 copies.
The then governing Swedish Social Democratic Party didn't take part in the protests on September 20. A protest march was instead organized in Båstad by the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League on September 18, ending at the town square, where former prime minister Tage Erlander and Sweden's former ambassador to Chile Harald Edelstam (who personally helped rescue over 1,200 political prisoners in Chile after the 1973 coup) addressed a crowd of some 3,000.
Olof Palme's government tried to stop the match, but on September 12 negotiations ended with a decision to play. During game on September 20, which was guarded by 1,300 police, over 7,000 demonstrants gathered on the square, peacefully. The match was eventually played, but behind closed doors (without spectators).