What is a single match in a Davis Cup tie called?

A single match in a Davis Cup tie is called a rubber. The term distinguishes one individual contest from the tie itself, which is the team-versus-team meeting between two nations.

Historically, a Davis Cup tie was commonly played over five rubbers: four singles matches and one doubles match. The nation winning at least three rubbers won the tie. Modern Davis Cup structures have changed the schedule in some stages, often using two singles rubbers and one doubles rubber, but the vocabulary remains the same.

A rubber can be a singles or doubles match, and each one contributes to the overall team result. Players therefore compete not only for their own match but also for their country’s position in the tie. The word is also used in other international team competitions, including the Billie Jean King Cup.

The main terminology trap is calling the entire contest a “match.” In Davis Cup usage, the match is a rubber, while the collection of rubbers between the two countries is the tie. A set is only one section of an individual rubber, and a game is smaller still.