Dead rubber is a term used in sporting parlance to describe a match in a series where the series result has already been decided by earlier matches. The dead rubber match therefore has no effect on the winner and loser of the series, other than the total number of matches won and lost.
The term is used in Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup tennis, as well as in international cricket, field hockey, the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, Rugby World Cup and the State of Origin series.
For example, in a Davis Cup series, each pair of competing countries play five matches (rubbers) where the winner is decided on a best-of-five basis. Once one team has reached three victories, the remaining match or matches are said to be dead rubbers. International Tennis Federation's last revision of the competition policies on dead rubbers is from 2011. [1]
Since the result of a dead rubber has no impact in determining the winner of a series, dead rubbers are typically played in a less intense atmosphere, often allowing the team that has lost the series to obtain a match win. Sometimes, second-string players who have not played many matches in top-level competition are given the opportunity to play a dead rubber in order to gain experience. This practice makes completing a clean sweep of a series less likely.
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organisers as the "World Cup of Tennis", and the winners are referred to as the World Champion team. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Great Britain and the United States. By 2016, 135 nations entered teams into the competition.
Carlos Moyá Llompart is a Spanish former world No. 1 tennis player. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he was part of his country's successful Davis Cup team. He has been Rafael Nadal's primary coach since 2016.
This page is a glossary of tennis terminology.
Radek Štěpánek is a Czech former professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 8 and best doubles ranking was world No. 4. Štěpánek's biggest achievements are reaching two Masters 1000 event finals and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2006, as well as winning the deciding match for Czech Republic's Davis Cup winning team in 2012 and again in 2013. In doubles, he won his first Grand Slam title at the 2012 Australian Open, along with Indian partner Leander Paes, defeating the Bryan Brothers in the final. Paes and Štěpánek also won the men's doubles title at the 2013 US Open, defeating Bruno Soares and Alexander Peya in the final. In November 2017, he became a coach of Novak Djokovic and in May 2019, he joined Andre Agassi as part of Grigor Dimitrov's coaching staff.
Robert Bédard is a Canadian former tennis player and educator. Bédard was considered among the top ten clay court players in the world and was the top-ranked Canadian singles player in ten years in the 1950s and early 1960s. Bédard won three Canadian Open singles titles in 1955, 1957 and 1958. Bédard won a record seven Quebec Open singles championships and three Ontario Open singles titles. He won the U.S. Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1960. His career titles won was 29 tournaments, mostly on clay, in a very restricted playing career often confined to just the summer months. Bédard represented Canada in Davis Cup play for many years, reaching North America Zone and Interzone Finals in 1953, 1955, and 1959. He defeated No. 1 players of 20 different countries, including Australia and the U.S.. Bédard was a multi-sport athlete and was offered professional contracts with the New York Rangers ice hockey team and the Cleveland Indians baseball team, which he declined in favour of a career in academia. He became the principal of an esteemed private preparatory collegiate.
Frank Russell Dancevic is a retired Canadian professional tennis player. He first became the country's top singles player, according to ATP rankings, on February 10, 2003, as an 18-year-old, and remained so from January 30, 2006 until June 20, 2010. Dancevic has reached two ATP singles finals, the quarterfinals of the 2007 Montreal Masters and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 65 in September 2007.
José Javier "Chucho" Acasuso is a former professional male tennis player from Argentina. Like many of his fellow countrymen, he favoured clay. He was known for his strong serve and his hard groundstrokes off both sides. His clothes sponsor was Topper and his racquet sponsor Head.
The Australia Davis Cup team is the second most successful team ever to compete in the Davis Cup, winning the coveted title on 28 separate occasions, second behind the United States with 32.
The Great Britain Davis Cup team has represented the United Kingdom internationally since 1900 in the Davis Cup. Organised by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), it is one of the 50 members of International Tennis Federation's European association.
The Hungary men's national tennis team represents Hungary in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Hungarian Tennis Association.
The Russia women's national tennis team represented Russia in Billie Jean King Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Russian Tennis Federation. They compete in the World Group. Following the 2020 ban of Russia by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it competed and won the 2020–21 Billie Jean King Cup under the RTF flag and name. After the 2022 Russia invasion of Ukraine, the International Tennis Federation suspended Russia from Billie Jean King Cup competitions.
Aqeel Khan is a Pakistani tennis player. He is the current Pakistani number one and National Champion. His favourite surface is Grass. He is coached by Pakistani tennis coach Jamil Khan, who is his father. Aqeel Khan is sponsored by Jaffer Brothers.
Ričardas Berankis is a Lithuanian professional tennis player. He is the first and only Lithuanian citizen to enter the ATP top 50 rankings, making him the highest ranked Lithuanian tennis player of all time. Berankis has reached two finals on the ATP World Tour, at the Los Angeles Open in 2012 and Kremlin Cup in 2017. He is also a prominent member of the Lithuania Davis Cup team.
Jamie Baker is a retired British professional male tennis player, who was British No. 2 in 2008.
Àlex Corretja i Verdegay is a Spanish former professional tennis player. During his career, he was twice a major runner-up at the French Open, won the Tour Finals in 1998, reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 2 in 1999, and captured Masters 1000 titles at the 1997 Italian Open and 2000 Indian Wells Masters. Corretja also played a key role in helping Spain win its first Davis Cup title in 2000.
James Ward is a British former professional tennis player. He is a Davis Cup champion and former British No. 2.
Colin Fleming is a British retired professional tennis player who specialised in doubles.
The 2013 ATP World Tour was the global elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for the 2013 tennis season. The 2013 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments, the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the Davis Cup and the ATP World Tour Finals. Also included in the 2013 calendar is the Hopman Cup, which was organized by the ITF and does not distribute ranking points.
Henri Joona Julius Laaksonen is a Swiss professional tennis player. His highest singles ranking is world No. 84, which he achieved on 14 February 2022, and his highest doubles ranking is world No. 191, achieved on 24 December 2018.