What country has won the Billie Jean King Cup the most times?

The Billie Jean King Cup, or BJK Cup as it’s more commonly known, returns to Spain - the sixth time that the country has hosted the tournament. The Czech Republic lifted the Junior Davis Cup in Córdoba at the weekend and the action is set to continue with the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Seville which will reach its conclusion on Sunday. And tennis continues in the Andalucia region with the Davis Cup Finals taking place in Málaga at the end of the month.

The BJK Cup turns 60

For now, the focus is on the BJK Cup which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary. The tournament was established in 1963 to showcase women’s tennis with the first edition held at the Queen’s Club in London with 16 nations taking part. Then known as the Federation Cup, the inaugural contest was won by the United States - a team comprising Darlene Hard and two younger players, both 19 years of age: Carole Caldwell and Billie Jean Moffitt - the latter had made her Grand Slam debut four years earlier and would later become known the world over by married name, Billie Jean King.

Team USA breezed through the opening rounds, not suffering a single defeat as they saw off Italy, the Netherlands and Great Britain on their way to the final against Australia on 20 June 1963. Due to rain, all of the matches were played indoors. Margaret Smith inflicted the first and only defeat on the US, beating Darlene Hard 6-3 6-0 in the first round robin game but after losing the first set, Billie Jean beat Lesley Turner 7-5 0-6 3-6 to tie the series.

The same four players returned for the deciding doubles match. Australia’s Smith/Turner took the first set 6-3 but Moffitt/Hard gained their second wind to take the second 11-13 and the third 3-6 to win the match as the United States were crowned the first champions of the Federation Cup.

Although Australia got their revenge by winning the next two editions, that June 1963 victory was the start of the United States’ domination in the tournament and the first of a record 18 titles. Billie Jean won it seven times as a player and four times as Team USA captain (1976, 1996, 1999 and 2000). She also holds the record for the most consecutive ties played in the tournament - 19 games between the inaugural edition and 1967, 36 in total.

The United States, BJK Cup dons

The US have lost their stranglehold on the tournament in the new millennium and curiously,  have yet to win the competition since it was renamed in Billie Jean King’s honor in September 2020. The last time they lifted the trophy was in 2017, beating Belarus in the final in Minsk.