Self-confessed entertainer Nick Kyrgios fears tennis would "probably die out" without the introduction of more fan-friendly team events and rapid fire action like Fast4.
Kyrgios believes next year's inaugural ATP Cup in Australia is just the tonic for a sport in need of a shake-up to engage spectators no longer prepared to sit through marathon best-of-five-set matches.
"It's the same thing every week, another tournament. The same bunch of players are winning the tournaments, there's no real mix up and this is exactly what the sport needs," he said ahead of his much-hyped Kooyong Classic showdown with fellow Australian tennis rebel Bernard Tomic on Wednesday.
The 10-day, 24-team event, featuring up to five players from each competing country, will precede the Australian Open starting on January 20 in 2020.
"It's unbelievable to get that amount of players in Australia at that time, the start of the year.
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"It's a great chance for people who don't follow tennis to get into it and I think that's what the sport needs at the moment.
"It's exciting. All the top players are going to be here, you get behind your nation and the way Australian tennis is at the moment - we've got so much depth - so it's going to be a lot of fun to get out there with the boys.
"But this was exactly what the sport needs. Otherwise it was just going to stay the same and probably die out.
"Events like Fast4, Laver Cup, ATP Cup, that's what it's needs.
"Laver Cup, that final day (last September) got more views than a grand slam final. That's just proof that more people are interested in that type of tennis, rather than the same thing they see every day."
The colourful Kyrgios is only too happy to lead the way in making tennis more of an entertainment package.
"I know I can put on a good show," he said.
But the 23-year-old won't have any teammates to help when he squares off with Tomic for the first time and his opponent is challenging Kyrgios to take the exhibition seriously as the pair chase vital match practice ahead of Monday's Australian Open start.
"I've got some stuff I've got to work on and (this is) my last chance I can do that," Tomic said.
"Am I doing that against Nick, who only just serves? It's tough to do, so hopefully he takes it seriously."
