It's partied at Paris nightclubs, lived under tighter security than the President, been doused in champagne and been touched by some of the greatest tennis players in history. Yes, the 109-year-old Davis Cup trophy has led a charmed life. But it’s not all fun and games. Just ask the person who has to watch over it.
Although the International Tennis Federation owns the Davis Cup, rarely is it in the possession of ITF officials. Instead, the country that wins the title gets to keep the trophy until it switches hands at the next final—unless, of course, a country defends the title. It’s the winning country’s governing federation that takes responsibility for the cup, making sure it arrives at big events and photo shoots in pristine condition.
Federations usually outsource the work. When the United States won the Davis Cup in 2007, the USTA hired Synergy Events, an event and sports marketing firm, to oversee the trophy’s care. Brinks, an armored vehicles company, shepherded the trophy, which requires assembly, in four huge cases. Synergy’s Tara Murray was appointed, in her words, the “glorified trophy baby sitter.”
Murray, a freelance events coordinator and substitute teacher from New Jersey, traveled with the trophy to places like the U.S. Open and International Tennis Hall of Fame. She assembled the trophy (with help), polished the silver bowl wearing white gloves, and made sure no one touched it. For insurance purposes, she had to keep the trophy overnight in her hotel room. But she wasn’t too concerned about anyone stealing it. “Honestly, it’s 231 pounds,” she says. “Who’s going to run off with it?”
Being the trophy’s handler had it perks, too. Murray got to meet Barbara Walters and stand with the trophy on court during the ’07 Davis Cup final in Portland, Ore. Still, there was a downside. After the final, it’s customary for the winning team to drink champagne from the silver bowl, but the U.S. team also had a food fight. “It got a lot of cleaning that night,” Murray says.
When Argentina’s governing body had the cup for the final against Spain last year, the trophy had yet another adventure: A police motorcade and helicopter escorted the trophy from the airport in Buenos Aires to the arena in Mar del Plata.
Now, it is in the hands of the Spanish federation. Murray says she felt a little nostalgic when she saw a picture of the winning teammates drinking champagne from the trophy. “I thought, I wonder who has to clean it this time.”
Sarah Thurmond is an associate editor at TENNIS and SMASH magazines. This story originally appeared in the Summer 2009 issue of SMASH.