Roger Federer fans don’t simply cheer when they see him in the flesh. They scream.
So if you were strolling around Millennium Park at lunchtime Wednesday and heard shrieking, now you know why.
The public event at Pritzker Pavilion introduced Chicago to the Laver Cup, which is tennis’ answer to golf’s Ryder Cup. The three-day event, featuring many of the world’s top male players, begins Friday at the United Center.
“We know this is a sports-crazy city,” Federer told the crowd. “We are very thrilled to be here.”
Team Europe, captained by Bjorn Borg, won last year’s inaugural event in Prague.
“We’re here to defend our title,” Borg said, “and we’re going to keep the cup in Europe.”
John McEnroe, Borg’s one-time rival and polar opposite in terms of personality, countered: “I think they call that fake news.”
McEnroe is captain of Team World, which features South African Kevin Anderson. The 6-foot-8 Anderson played at the University of Illinois and is married to Kelsey O’Neal, who grew up in Glenview and played golf at Illinois.
“People love tennis here,” Anderson said. “I hope this is the first step to bringing more tennis to Chicago.”
The event is named in honor of tennis legend Rod Laver, who won a record 200 singles titles, 11 Grand Slams and five Davis Cups for Australia. Laver plans to watch as a neutral observer, perhaps pulling for an underdog.
“I’ll drink with the winners,” he told the Tribune recently, “whoever they are.”
Federer helped create the event to honor Laver and, as he explained Wednesday, to “bring all these different generations of players together so we can have a good time and learn from one another.”
New to the event is Novak Djokovic, the Serbian who won the U.S. Open this month.
“I was watching it on the TV last year and it was very exciting to see a new concept,” he said. “Guys who have shared rivalries were playing on the same side of the court. There was great team spirit. That’s what (tennis is) missing a little bit because it’s mostly individual tournaments. I wanted to be a part of it and have this great experience.”
McEnroe believes his group of six players, which includes Americans John Isner, Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe, will have more team spirit and perhaps better doubles play.
“I like this because I played team sports — basketball and soccer,” McEnroe said Wednesday in an interview with the Tribune. “Sometimes you can blow off a little steam and can rally. Some guys are better team players. That’s what we have going for us.”
Team Europe is better on paper, with higher-ranked players, so McEnroe told the Chicago fans they will be needed to give his group an edge.
The Laver Cup features sights and sounds you don’t get at Wimbledon — coaching, raucous cheering, chest bumping, celebratory pushups, all on a black court.
The format calls for shorter matches. If the players split sets, they go straight to a 10-point tiebreaker.
McEnroe’s last singles title came in Chicago in 1991 at the UIC Pavilion. He beat younger brother Patrick, who is serving as vice captain.
The players and captains were given jerseys of every Chicago pro sports team, but McEnroe reminded people he’s from New York and said, “If I wear any of those jerseys, I will be arrested.”
Wednesday’s event started about 40 minutes later than planned. At one point a member of the crowd screamed, “Let’s go already!”
But the fans left satisfied. Many rushed toward the stage at the end of the event, snapping pictures of the competitors. The players tossed and hit balls into the crowd, signed autographs and posed for selfies.
tgreenstein@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein