Serena Williams has responded to John McEnroe’s comments on NPR. During an interview about his new book, McEnroe said that Williams would place “like 700 in the world” if she played on the men’s tour.
Serena Williams puts John McEnroe in his place with two tweets
Following John McEnroe’s comments on NPR, Serena Williams sets the record straight
Williams’ first response was more than gracious.
McEnroe went on to say that Williams was “no question” the best female player ever, yet that if she were to face men it “would be an entirely different story.”
Williams really wasn’t having it.
She won the Australian Open in January while pregnant, before she announced her pregnancy publicly. When she did release that information, she announced she would also miss the rest of the 2017 season.
McEnroe may have realized what he said during the interview, as he granted that Williams has a mental toughness some male tennis players lack, but he still doubled down on his words.
“Maybe at some point, a woman can be better than anybody,” he said. “But I haven’t seen it in any other sport and I haven’t seen it in tennis.”
Williams has indicated that she will return to play after the birth of her child, at the start of next year.
She has 23 Grand Slam singles titles, winning her very first one in 1999 at age 17. She also holds four Olympic gold medals for a combination of singles and doubles.
Update: In an interview on CBS This Morning, McEnroe was asked about the comments. He attempted to clarify the matter, again bringing Williams into it, which she had already asked him not to do.
She’s the greatest female player that ever lived, then the lady said to me, I don’t remember which one, but she said, “Why did you say woman, why don’t you just say the greatest, you know, tennis player that ever lived?” And so then I felt the need, however unfortunately probably, to defend myself. I don’t know, just say what I really felt, which is about what I think she would be.
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