McEnroe might have overrated Williams
John McEnroe owes the world an apology — and now.
He was wrong when he said Serena Williams would probably rank around No. 700 in the world if she were competing against men. Her ranking would be more like No. 1,000.
There is no reason to draw such comparisons and unnecessarily diminish Williams’ unparalleled accomplishments — including an Open-era record 23 Grand Slam tournament singles titles — and legacy in women’s tennis.
But there’s no reason to deny the truth either: She would have no chance of beating the top men’s players or, for that matter, the challengers or also-rans.
Although Williams might have the athleticism to match some of the men, she has never faced anybody on the women’s circuit who can match her in those terms, and thus her skills lag behind the men.
“On a given day, Serena could beat some players. I believe because she’s so incredibly strong mentally that she could overcome some situations,” McEnroe told NPR. “But if she had to just play the circuit — the men’s circuit — that would be an entirely different story.”
Williams is among the greatest female athletes not just in tennis but in all sports. But she does not have the strength, quickness and speed to beat the men. And we’re not talking Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs here. We’re talking legitimate professional men’s players.
McEnroe, 58, has said a lot of intentionally inflammatory and regrettable things over the years, but what he said about Williams does not even rank in his top 700.
Maybe it’s time to renew the battle of sexes that pitted King vs. Riggs in 1973. McEnroe says Donald Trump offered years ago to pay him to play Williams. I would pay to watch that.
And my money would be on Mac.