Jim Courier hopes mooted changes to the Davis Cup are just a stepping stone towards it eventually becoming a two-week annual event like the FIFA World Cup.
The International Tennis Federation will vote in August on reforms that would see the competition be played over best of three sets rather than five to make it more appealing to top players.
Courier wants it to be the "first move on the chessboard" with his dream for the Davis Cup to effectively become a "fifth slam" - held over two weeks every year, except for Olympic years, and with a different host nation every time.
He said that would give teams like Australia, who beat Courier's United States in their quarter-final tie in Brisbane but won't play their semi-final until September, the chance to push on with their momentum.
"They now have to wait until after the US Open before they pick up again," Courier said.
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"It's like a whole new season.
"If we can play it over two weeks, people will be able to follow it, get involved and invested.
"Non-core tennis fans will start to follow the story because they'll hear about it and they won't have to wait four or five months for their team to play again.
"I hate soccer, but when the World Cup comes along, I follow the American team, male or female - and I don't pay attention to one other game the rest of the year.
"I've been saying this for years and years, and I'm on record as saying it, so this is nothing new and I'm not the only one who's saying it. But I believe that's the answer for this competition."
Courier said it was up to others as to where and how it would fit into an already-packed tennis calendar but said change was absolutely necessary.
"The problem for the Davis Cup is it's a tree falling in a forest and not enough people are around to hear it or see it," he said.
"We're not in 1915 anymore, we're in 2017 and you have to be a little more aware of what the modern marketplace wants.
"People in America follow the Davis Cup when we play in the States, but it's pretty hard for them to follow it the weekend of the Masters at 2am in the morning."
