Anybody who had an opportunity to witness the inaugural Laver Cup competition last weekend must have been entertained by what they saw.  A ton of star talent pitted against one another in match after match made for a highly exciting weekend of top-notch tennis.  It was an indisputable success, and a success that had one commentator questioning where this event left the Davis Cup.  It is a fair question, as there are more than a few takeaways from the Laver Cup that could help enhance the more historic team competition.

For starters, the scoring system kept things interesting.  Matches were progressively worth more points per day, and with thirteen points needed to secure victory, it ensured that play on Sunday would be relevant.  It also meant it allowed the World Team – the heavy underdogs – the chance to overcome a large deficit from the first two days of play and nearly pull off a colossal upset.  Finding a way to incorporate a similar scoring system in Davis Cup would eliminate the pitfalls of potential dead rubbers on the third day of the tie and leave the door a little more open for a thrilling comeback.

Then there is the overall team atmosphere that not only looked stronger in this competition but a lot more fun.  Watching the antics of the teams as they cheered on their teammates was one of the best highlights of the Laver Cup, but that is something that is more stifled in Davis Cup play.  It built an even greater sense of camaraderie among players from all over the globe and not just a single country as well.  There was also the added benefit of teammates being able to play the role of coach in conjunction with the official coach.  This provided competitors a multitude of insights, and it seemed some of the players found a greater drive and path to success as a result.

Lastly, perhaps the most glaring difference between the Laver Cup and Davis Cup was the amount of star power that was on hand in Prague – and that was despite a number of the sport's elite having already ended their 2017 campaigns.  Too often Davis Cup ties are missing the marquee players, who may only show up if their country happens to reach the latter stages of the competition or else want to make a concerted effort to try and win the Davis Cup once in their careers.  While this situation can lead to a journeyman putting together some spectacular heroics to produce one of the most memorable moments of his career, it is also why Davis Cup has increasingly been marginalized in tennis. 

It would be a major change, but arguably adopting a format like the Laver Cup could help fix that issue.  Rather than a weekend, it could be elongated to approximately a week to accommodate all countries in the World Group with matches shortened to best-of-three or even the champion's tiebreak to be contested at a set all.  Players would be more apt to contest the Davis Cup if they go in knowing that they only have to commit to essentially a week of play during their season and that the match format will equate to less wear and tear on their bodies.

All this being said, change often comes slowly to tennis, which can be stubborn when it comes to various facets of the game.  Davis Cup is also a wonderful competition that has been around for over a century, so no one wants to go about changing it without being sure all changes are for the best.  Still, it was impossible to look at the success of the Laver Cup and wonder if portions of it could not be adapted to Davis Cup.  Everything must evolve to stay relevant, and for the fledgling Davis Cup, the inaugural Laver Cup might have just provided some insights and answers to help restore it to something more akin to its glory days of decades ago.