Former tennis bad boy John McEnroe says Serena Williams would be
‘like 700’ in the world tennis rankings if she played on the men’s tour.
McEnroe, who won seven Grand Slam titles in his career, was speaking to American Broadcaster National Public Radio about his memoir ‘You Cannot Be Serious’.
He said that Williams was the best female player ever, ‘no question.’
But when asked about her being the best ever, without gender
qualifiers, McEnroe said: ‘If she had to just play the circuit — the
men’s circuit — that would be an entirely different story…she’d be like
700 in the world.’
McEnroe elaborated that the thought Serena’s incredible mental strength would allow her to beat some male players.
He added: ‘That [700 ranking] doesn’t mean I don’t think Serena is an incredible player. I do, but the reality of what would happen would be I think something that perhaps it’d be a little higher, perhaps it’d be a little lower.
‘And on a given day Serena could beat some players. I believe she’s so incredibly strong mentally that she could overcome some situations where players would choke.
McEnroe won seven Grand Slam titles in his career. Williams has won 23. She is currently sixth months pregnant and engaged to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
NPR journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro, who interviewed McEnroe, took to Twitter to defend the former tennis ace.
She asked: ‘Is being the best athlete in the world about pitting men against women? By that metric women can never be the best.
‘Shouldn’t you look at exception performances and wins? It’s not a battle of the sexes.’
Williams had admitted in the past that she’d probably lose to a male champion in ten minutes or less.
When interviewed on ‘Late Night with David Letterman’ four years ago, she said: ‘For me, men’s tennis and women’s tennis are completely, almost, two separate sports.
‘If I were to to play Andy Murray, I would lose 6-0, 6-0 in five to six minutes, maybe ten minutes. No, it’s true. It’s a completely different sport.
‘The men are a lot faster and they serve harder, they hit harder. It’s just a different game. I love to play women’s tennis. I only want to play girls, because I don’t want to be embarrassed.’
McEnroe, who won seven Grand Slam titles in his career, was speaking to American Broadcaster National Public Radio about his memoir ‘You Cannot Be Serious’.
He said that Williams was the best female player ever, ‘no question.’
McEnroe elaborated that the thought Serena’s incredible mental strength would allow her to beat some male players.
He added: ‘That [700 ranking] doesn’t mean I don’t think Serena is an incredible player. I do, but the reality of what would happen would be I think something that perhaps it’d be a little higher, perhaps it’d be a little lower.
‘And on a given day Serena could beat some players. I believe she’s so incredibly strong mentally that she could overcome some situations where players would choke.
McEnroe won seven Grand Slam titles in his career. Williams has won 23. She is currently sixth months pregnant and engaged to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
NPR journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro, who interviewed McEnroe, took to Twitter to defend the former tennis ace.
‘Shouldn’t you look at exception performances and wins? It’s not a battle of the sexes.’
Williams had admitted in the past that she’d probably lose to a male champion in ten minutes or less.
When interviewed on ‘Late Night with David Letterman’ four years ago, she said: ‘For me, men’s tennis and women’s tennis are completely, almost, two separate sports.
‘If I were to to play Andy Murray, I would lose 6-0, 6-0 in five to six minutes, maybe ten minutes. No, it’s true. It’s a completely different sport.
‘The men are a lot faster and they serve harder, they hit harder. It’s just a different game. I love to play women’s tennis. I only want to play girls, because I don’t want to be embarrassed.’
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