Serena Williams fires back at John McEnroe

Serena Williams did not hold back in her response to John McEnroe’s comparison of her to male tennis players.

The world’s best women’s tennis player, Serena Williams, took to Twitter to express her annoyance with John McEnroe’s recent comments.

In a recent interview with NPR, McEnroe said her ranking would not be nearly as high as it is on the women’s tour:

"“If she played the men’s circuit she’d be like 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 would be I think something that perhaps it’d be a little higher, perhaps it’d be a little lower.”"

Serena Williams is one of the most decorated athletes of all time. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 72 total WTA titles, and four Olympic gold medals. Williams is at the top of the sport.

However, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2015, McEnroe, 58, said that he believed he could still beat Serena Williams. During his career, McEnroe won seven Grand Slam singles titles.

In the past, Serena has said similar things in regards to how she would play against her male counterparts. In 2013, she said she “would lose 6-0, 6-0 in five to six minutes, maybe 10 minutes” if she were to play Andy Murray, one of the greatest male tennis players alive. Furthermore, she said “For me, men’s tennis and women’s tennis are completely, almost, two separate sports.”

Next: Complete List of U.S. Open Winners

Serena Williams is currently six months pregnant, which has forced her to take a break from the tour. Her importance to the sports was noticed immediately as her absence gave opportunities to new players. Specifically, the unranked Jelena Ostapenko was able to win her first Grand Slam over Simona Halep at the French Open. Williams likely wouldn’t have lost to her.