The Truth About John McEnroe's Controversial Opinion Of Serena Williams

Per the infamous 2017 NPR interview, McEnroe added fuel to the fire while comparing Williams to male tennis players by stating that she was an "incredible player." Only to explain, "But if she had to just play the circuit — the men's circuit — that would be an entirely different story." Vox reports that his comments were not taken lightly as they echoed sexist sentiments that have plagued Williams' triumphant career. Nevertheless, CBS Sports reports that McEnroe decided against apologizing to Williams. Instead, he divulged that he regretted what he had said. However, this was not the first time McEnroe had made some less than favorable statements about Williams.

In 2000, he told the Sunday Telegraph (via ABC News) that "What they (Serena and Venus Williams) have achieved is great, but they have no respect for anyone in the game." On more than one occasion, McEnroe has expressed his belief that he could beat Williams in a tennis match (per The Guardian and 60 Minutes Australia).

Although Vox notes that Williams herself has said that she would likely lose a tennis match against a man due to physical differences, she did not take McEnroe's comments lightly. According to Bleacher Report, Williams responded to his NPR interview in a series of messages on Twitter. One of these tweets read "Dear John, I adore and respect you but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based."