John McEnroe: Serena would be 'like No. 700 in world' on men's circuit
John McEnroe says that if Serena Williams played on the men's tour that she would be ranked far below than what she is now.
During an interview this weekend on NPR as part of the book tour to promote his new memoir "But Seriously," McEnroe said that if Serena played on the men's tour she'd be "like No. 700 in the world."
"That doesn't mean I don't think Serena is an incredible player. I do, but the reality of what would happen on a given day is Serena could beat some players, I believe, because she is so incredibly strong mentally," McEnroe said.
"But if she had to just play the circuit -- the men's circuit -- that would be an entirely different story."
McEnroe did say that Williams is the greatest woman to ever play tennis and he hopes a women's tennis player can beat their male counterparts.
"I just haven't seen it in any other sport, and I haven't seen it in tennis," McEnroe said. "I suppose anything's possible at some stage."
Williams responded Monday evening with a pair of tweets.
Williams, who turns 36 in September, has won 23 singles Grand Slams, one short of tying Margaret Court's record. She has also 14 more Grand Slams in doubles, plus she is a winner of four Olympic Gold medals (3 doubles, 1 singles).
