Serena slams McEnroe’s comments

John McEnroe set off a firestorm in the tennis world by invoking a tired refrain about Serena Williams — specifically, how the 23-time Grand Slam winner would stack up against men’s players — to promote his new book.

McEnroe said he would place Williams “like 700 in the world” if she played on the men’s tour.

“Best female player ever — no question. If she had to just play the circuit — the men’s circuit — that would be an entirely different story,” McEnroe told NPR as part of a tour to promote his new book, “But Seriously.”

“Maybe at some, a woman can be better than anybody. But I haven’t seen it in any other sport and I haven’t seen it in tennis.”

Williams responded via Twitter, telling McEnroe: “I adore and respect you,” but asks him to “please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based.”

In another tweet Williams wrote: “I’ve never played anyone ranked ‘there’ nor do I have time.”

The ATP Tour rankings only cover the top 500, and the No. 500 spot is currently held by Temur Ismailov of Uzbekistan.

Williams, 35, won the Australian Open in late January while approximately eight weeks pregnant. She later announced she would miss the rest of the 2017 season

“Respect me and my privacy as I’m trying to have a baby. Good day sir,” Williams tweeted.

McEnroe, a seven-time major winner, granted Williams an edge in mental toughness against some men’s players who would crack under pressure.

“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. “She could overcome some situations where players would choke because she’s been in it so many times, so many situations at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, etc.” —