Serena Williams will likely go down as the greatest women’s tennis player of all time.
She needs only two more grand slam titles to pass Margaret Court’s total of 24.
However, Serena bristled when men’s tennis legend John McEnroe made a statement about her that shouldn’t be considered controversial at all.
McEnroe said Serena wouldn’t be able to compete on the men’s circuit.
From the Telegraph:
Serena Williams has asked John McEnroe to respect her after he stated the 23-time Grand Slam champion would be “like 700” in the world tennis rankings if she played on the men’s tour.
“If she played the men’s circuit she’d be, like, 700 in the world,” said McEnroe, while promoting his latest memoir ‘But Seriously.’
“That doesn’t mean I don’t think Serena is an incredible player, and I suppose anything’s possible; maybe at some point a women’s tennis player can be better than anybody.
“I just haven’t seen that in any other sport, and I haven’t seen it in tennis. If she had to just play the men’s circuit, it would be an entirely different story.”
Williams responded on Monday evening, stating:
Serena Williams on Twitter
Dear John, I adore and respect you but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based.
Serena Williams on Twitter
I’ve never played anyone ranked “there” nor do I have time. Respect me and my privacy as I’m trying to have a baby. Good day sir
It’s surprising that Serena took offense to McEnroe’s comments when she agreed with his sentiment only a few years back.
The article continues:
McEnroe had added that he believed Williams “could beat some players” on a given day, “because she is so incredibly strong mentally”.
“She could overcome some situations where players would choke because she’s been in it so many times, so many situations at Wimbledon, the US Open, etc,” he said in the interview with NPR.
Williams in the past has said that “men’s tennis and women’s tennis are completely, almost, two separate sports”.
“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,” she said four years ago.
Dmitry Tursunov, who is the 701st ranked player in the world said he believed he could beat Williams.
The Russian said that while he thought McEnroe was “trying to talk women’s tennis down”, he added that “the reality” was that “men are stronger in general”.
“I would hope that I would win against Serena,” he told the BBC.
“It would be a similar argument to: who would run faster, the fastest woman or the fastest man? Tennis is becoming more and more a physical sport, so it’s going to be hard for a woman to beat the men.
“It’s not black and white, there are lots of factors to take into account. Physically I might not be in the best shape of my life but as an overall package I’m much better than my ranking would suggest. She is pregnant, and I’m not.”
Another current player got dragged into the silly debate.
More from the article:
Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios, the modern day “bad boy” of tennis, reacted to comments from a broadcaster who said he thought the Australian might struggle against Williams.
Tony Jones said: “I agree with [McEnroe] on one point: I think she would beat Nick Kyrgios.
“But he touched on something that is more important, especially when you’re playing something like Nick Kyrgios, who’s brittle above the shoulders — it’s a mind game as well. Her mental strength alone would see her get the better of someone like Nick Kyrgios — I’d back her.”
Kyrgios hit back on Twitter, stating:
Nicholas Kyrgios on Twitter
And, we have officially seen it all ???♂️ https://t.co/blFOr6VhoP
Nicholas Kyrgios on Twitter
@3AW693 If this is the case, Djokovic, Fed & Nadal would struggle against her? Since they all have had a tough match against me? ??♂️??♂️??♂️
Leftist hokum like post-modernist gender studies claims that gender is simply a social construct, and there are no fundamental differences between genders.
Like most left-wing theories, their ideology is entirely counter to biological science, millennia of empirical data, and basic common sense.
At 5’9” and 155 lbs, Serena is able to overpower her opponents, while also being nimble for her strong frame.
But she would get blown off the court when matched up against male players. However, political correctness is supposed to make people ignore these obvious truths.
It’s a shame McEnroe’s benign statement turned into a controversy.