Laver Cup proved once again that it can bring excitement, talent, and passion to the table. It’s must-see TV if you’re a tennis fan. In this third edition, Team Europe, led by Federer and Nadal struggled with the enthusiasm and energy of Team World, but were able to pull through in the end. We saw again Team World dominate in doubles. Jack Sock is pretty much the best doubles player in the world, and it doesn’t matter who they give him as a partner. When he’s playing doubles, it’s going to be tough. And he’ll be playing doubles for years to come, so watch out Team Europe. However, it wasn’t just Jack Sock. Taylor Fritz came up big against Dominic Thiem. Unfortunately, Isner and Raonic did not have the goods against Federer and Zverev in the final two matches. For the third time in three years Team Europe came up with the wins when it mattered.

But it wasn’t without a little bit of controversy. Rafa Nadal pulled out of his singles and doubles match citing an injury. Subsequently, Kyrgios who was to play against Rafa pulled out with a shoulder injury. McEnroe was not pleased with the Nadal pull out, mostly because it didn’t allow for him to change his lineups according to the new matchups. It didn’t matter though, Team World played through the controversy and got themselves in a winning position before Team Europe was able to close it out in the last two matches.

Regardless, the whole event proved again to be a pivotal part of the tennis calendar. The ATP now recognizes the event on its calendar, and players will continue to look forward to this weekend year in and year out. It is very apparent that the players crave more team competitions. We saw incredible displays of coaching and comradery from both teams. It was especially fascinating to hear the coaching exchanges between the likes of Federer and Nadal as they coached each other and their teammates. The Laver Cup heads to Boston next year, where it is very likely we’ll see many of the same faces. This rivalry between Team World and Team Europe has legs for years to come. The ATP should keep a close eye on the Laver Cup. It could learn something about how to think outside the box.