1981 Davis Cup

tournament between national teams in men's tennis. This was the first year that the tournament moved to a tiered system, with the creation of the 16-team World Group. Teams that reached the Zonal semifinals in the previous year's tournament were chosen for the inaugural World Group. Teams who lose in the first round played each other in the Relegation Play-off, with the four losers relegated to their Zonal competition. Winners of the Zonal competitions earned promotion into the next year's World Group. 53 teams would enter the competition, 16 in the World Group, 23 in the Europe Zone, 8 in the Americas Zone, and 6 in the Eastern Zone. The United States defeated Argentina in the final, which was held at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, OH, United States, on 11-13 December.

World Group

Draw

DCWorld
RD1-date=6-8 March
RD2-date=9-11 July
RD3-date=2-4 October
RD4-date=11-13 December

RD1T1-loc=Munich, West Germany (indoor carpet)
RD1-seed1= | RD1-team1=davis|FRG | RD1-score1=2
RD1-seed2= | RD1-team2=davis|ARG | RD1-score2=3

RD1T2-loc=Timişoara, Romania (indoor hard)
RD1-seed3= | RD1-team3=davis|ROU|1965 | RD1-score3=3
RD1-seed4= | RD1-team4=davis|BRA | RD1-score4=2

RD1T3-loc=Brighton, England (indoor carpet)
RD1-seed5= | RD1-team5=davis|GBR | RD1-score5=3
RD1-seed6= | RD1-team6=davis|ITA | RD1-score6=2

RD1T4-loc=Seoul, South Korea (clay)
RD1-seed7= | RD1-team7=davis|KOR | RD1-score7=0
RD1-seed8= | RD1-team8=davis|NZL | RD1-score8=5

RD1T5-loc=Yokohama, Japan (indoor carpet)
RD1-seed9= | RD1-team9=davis|JPN | RD1-score9=0
RD1-seed10= | RD1-team10=davis|SWE | RD1-score10=5

RD1T6-loc=Lyon, France (indoor carpet)
RD1-seed11= | RD1-team11=davis|FRA | RD1-score11=2
RD1-seed12= | RD1-team12=davis|AUS | RD1-score12=3

RD1T7-loc=Zürich, Switzerland (indoor hard)
RD1-seed13= | RD1-team13=davis|SUI | RD1-score13=2
RD1-seed14= | RD1-team14=davis|TCH | RD1-score14=3

RD1T8-loc=Carlsbad, CA, United States (hard)
RD1-seed15= | RD1-team15=davis|USA | RD1-score15=3
RD1-seed16= | RD1-team16=davis|MEX | RD1-score16=2

RD2T1-loc=Timişoara, Romania (hard)
RD2-seed1= | RD2-team1=davis|ARG | RD2-score1=3
RD2-seed2= | RD2-team2=davis|ROU|1965 | RD2-score2=2

RD2T2-loc=Christchurch, New Zealand (grass)
RD2-seed3= | RD2-team3=davis|GBR | RD2-score3=4
RD2-seed4= | RD2-team4=davis|NZL | RD2-score4=1

RD2T3-loc=Båstad, Sweden (clay)
RD2-seed5= | RD2-team5=davis|SWE | RD2-score5=1
RD2-seed6= | RD2-team6=davis|AUS | RD2-score6=3

RD2T4-loc=New York, NY, United States (hard)
RD2-seed7= | RD2-team7=davis|TCH | RD2-score7=1
RD2-seed8= | RD2-team8=davis|USA | RD2-score8=4

RD3T1-loc=Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay)
RD3-seed1= | RD3-team1=davis|ARG | RD3-score1=5
RD3-seed2= | RD3-team2=davis|GBR | RD3-score2=0

RD3T2-loc=Portland, OR, United States (indoor carpet)
RD3-seed3= | RD3-team3=davis|AUS | RD3-score3=0
RD3-seed4= | RD3-team4=davis|USA | RD3-score4=5

RD4T1-loc=Cincinnati, OH, USA (indoor carpet)
RD4-seed1= | RD4-team1=davis|ARG | RD4-score1=1
RD4-seed2= | RD4-team2=davis|USA | RD4-score2=3First round losers play in World Group Relegation Play-off.

Final

DavisCupbox
team1=United States
team2=Argentina
venue=Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH, United States
date=11 December - 13 December 1981
surface=carpet (indoors)
score1=3
score2=1
R1= TennisMatch |T1P1=John McEnroe |6 |6 |6 | | |T2P1=Guillermo Vilas |3 |2 |2 | |
R2= TennisMatch |T1P1=Roscoe Tanner |5 |3 |6 | | |T2P1=José Luis Clerc |7 |6 |8 | |
R3= TennisMatch |T1P1=Peter Fleming |T1P2=John McEnroe |6 |4 |6 |4 |11 |T2P1=José Luis Clerc |T2P2=Guillermo Vilas |3 |6 |4 |6 |9
R4= TennisMatch |T1P1=John McEnroe |7 |5 |6 |3 |6 |T2P1=José Luis Clerc |5 |7 |3 |6 |3
R5= TennisMatch |T1P1=Roscoe Tanner |11 | | | | |T2P1=Guillermo Vilas |10 | | | | |nc=1

World Group Relegation Play-offs

Date: 2-4 October

*France, Italy, Mexico, and West Germany remain in World Group in 1982.
*Brazil (AME), Japan (EAS), South Korea (EAS), and Switzerland (EUR) relegated to Zonal competition in 1982.

Americas Zone

North & Central America Zone

;Participating Teams
*
*
* — advanced to Americas Inter-Zonal Final
*

outh America Zone

;Participating Teams
* — advanced to Americas Inter-Zonal Final
*
*
*

Americas Inter-Zonal Final

*Chile promoted to World Group in 1982.

Eastern Zone

;Participating Teams
*
* — promoted to World Group in 1982
*
*
*
*

European Zone

Zone A

;Participating Teams
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* — promoted to World Group in 1982
*
*

Zone B

;Participating Teams
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* — promoted to World Group in 1982
*