Perfectly rational from a guy who actually knows something about tennis. People need to get hobbies other than getting outraged on Twitter.

McEnroe is absolutely correct.

"If I played Andy Murray I would lose 6-0 6-0 in 5 maybe 10 minutes..." That was a quote DIRECTLY FROM SERENA WILLIAMS. So, if SHE thought she'd get COMPLETELY BLOWN outta water by a top 10/20 MENS player at that time, WHAT in the F, makes people (who don't know ANYTHING about tennis) think that she could consistently compete with THE TOP 700 MEN IN THE WHOLE WORLD? Just Makes me think. Ya knows.

Years ago on " ABC's Wide World of Sports" they showed the number one ranked female kickboxer do a promotional fight against the number one ranked male. The woman took it seriously and the guy was just foolin around. He told her to cool it a couple times and then she caught him in the land down under...he did a spin move and dropped her like a bad habit. I thought the announcers were going to have a heart attack. McEnroe is 100% correct and it's absurd to think anything else.

"Serena vs Nadal on clay see how that goes"... Damn, easiest 20 minute paycheck Nadal ever had.

The mere fact that McEnroe feels the need to explain and soften his opinion should tell us a lot about the world we live in.

I was ranked within the top 600 in the world and can personally attest that anyone ranked on the ATP tour and even most D1 College should be able to beat Serena pretty handily. That’s no offense or disrespect to Serena or women’s tennis as I have coached many top female players on tour. It’s just a different sport theoretically speaking. She is the best female player of all time. However, men’s tennis is so different. Ball speed, movement speed, spin rate, etc. One of my college teammates played against Caroline Wozniacki when she was #1 in the world and beat her 6-1. He didn’t even make our starting line up, we were playing our college match and he played a set against her so she could prepare for the WTA tournament the next week on campus.

I dated a girl who played college tennis. I was a good athlete - but never played tennis for reals. She wanted to play as practice for her - and she wanted to know if I could return the ball if she hit it hard. We "played" three times in two weeks - and I did OK the first time - I beat her the second time - and I killed her the third time. She got really mad - we never played again - and that was the beginning of the end of dating.

What a stupid tweet from Serena. How is naming her in a show not respecting her privacy? Grow up Serena.

I'm a woman, I'm in law enforcement and a lot of my female coworkers try to say they can do everything men can do physically, this is a huge mistake which can get you killed; you can do the same job as well, but not the same way!! You must know your strengths AND LIMITATIONS in order to be safe and get the job done well.

I think what I respect the most is how positive and supportive he continues to be towards Serena whenever he mentions her, also for the record Serena herself never had a problem with him saying it.

John is great to listen to because although he’s competitive and wants to be right he’s also honest and open minded and generally well intentioned. Serena’s response pretty much sums up what I think of her. Defensiveness usually means you’re guilty about something.. ? Using technology to enhance your game..

The problem is that unless you play pro tennis, you can't appreciate how good 700 on the ATP is.

Ranking Serena 700 in the men's is very, very generous

Jennifer Capriati I think it is has a brother who played collegiate tennis and she's on record saying she's never beaten him in a match.

She couldn't beat the 7000th ranked man. McEnroe was being generous.

right or wrong, you got to love a guy who's not afraid to say what he thinks

McEnroe is spot on. What was he supposed to say to that stupid question on NPR? Glad he didn't back down!

Serena brings up being a mother on different occasions like she is the only person in the world that has been a mother.

Johnny Mac is the man! SAYIN IT HOW IT IS AND STANDS TALL!! Love it!

It is a VERY bad sign when someone speaks the truth in this country and everyone in the media gasps, and invites them to walk it back or apologize.

"I'll give her 700 roses" What a savage.

Mac is always straightforward and honest in his opinions.. a truly knowledgeable analyst..

No explanation needed. He was spot on.

If the original interviewer didn't want to hear McEnroe's honest assessment, then don't ask the question.

I remember when Chrissie Everett was the #1 ranked female in the world and was crushing all the girls and a talking head ask her had she considered playing the men and Chrissie said "let me put it this way, my younger brother grew up in our tennis family and is a pretty good club player but has never qualified for the tour and I have never taken a set off him in my life".

The problem today is they worry too much about people's feelings instead of telling the truth. I'm glad he stood his ground and didn't apologize

I love watching John play !!! One of the greatest players ever !!!

McEnroe was wrong Serena wouldn't even beat top 1500 ranked player

Women's final at Wimbledon 55 mins vs men's final 5 hours. Same pay, apparently that's equality.

I love John McEnroe... he has enough cojones to speak his mind! John asks why don't they do this in other sports... well they did. In my opinion, Annika Sorenstam is the greatest golf champion and golf competitor ever on the women's tour as I am guessing John M and a large percent of the world would agree. As great as she was, she could not even make the cut on the men's tour... and I was rooting for her to do so! Even though she was not good enough to make the cut let alone challenge for the lead... I still think she is one of the greatest golf champion's ever and I have have a ton of respect for her!

It’s possible to appreciate and admire Serena’s accomplishments and how great she’s been for female tennis AND be of the opinion that she’d not win a singular game against the 700th male ranked player. Her salty response is a shame but obviously totally expected. Still, she’s a true champ and has been a blessing for tennis, women’s tennis is so dull in the post Serena era

Why is he explaining himself? Wow, John has mellowed over the years. 1979 John McEnroe would have told the world to kiss his a*s.

John McEnroe is great, he speaks the truth and you can tell it.

Hey John, I appreciate you, man!👍🏾

Gotta love ya, John...a man who never backed away or down from anybody or anything. Consumate New Yorker!

He is right, there is a reason for separate circuits, you can't deny biology.

she has already played the 250th player and got decimated then that guy dropped to the 350th a week later

I love John. I had the pleasure of meeting him. Super nice guy………..And,he’s absolutely unequivocally 💯% correct……..

love john speaks his truth & says what a lot of people do not have the integrity or guts to say. He is one of the greatest broadcasters so interesting. Bravo. John Bravo Serena. Can we move on

Like the fact John didn't back down from his statements.

John McEnroe is one of the most interesting commentators in tennis. Too bad we live in a stupid, hyper-sensitive woke world - it gets so tiring having to listen to the PC police b.s. after someone like Mac simply answers questions he's asked in a truthful, forthright manner.

Another event dubbed a "Battle of the Sexes" took place during the 1998 Australian Open between Karsten Braasch and the Williams sisters. Venus and Serena Williams had claimed that they could beat any male player ranked outside the world's top 200, so Braasch, then ranked 203rd, challenged them both. Braasch was described by one journalist as "a man whose training regime centered around a pack of cigarettes and more than a couple of bottles of ice cold lager". The matches took place on court number 12 in Melbourne Park, after Braasch had finished a round of golf and two shandies. He first took on Serena and after leading 5-0, beat her 6-1. Venus then walked on court and again Braasch was victorious, this time winning 6-2. Braasch said afterwards, "500 and above, no chance". He added that he had played like someone ranked 600th in order to keep the game "fun" and that the big difference was that men can chase down shots much easier and put spin on the ball that female players could not handle. The Williams sisters adjusted their claim to beating men outside the top 350.

I love John McEnroe he’s one of the best Tennis players and Tennis Analyst. I really believe he’s accurate that Serena is great player but playing on Mens Tour she would be ranked very low.

Greetings from England, I just love John McEnroe, legendary player, straight talker & we really appreciate his commentaries here @ Wimbledon Every year, RESPECT to the man !

The fact were talking about a 58 year old man having a chance at beating the best woman's player ever in her prime should tell you how truly superior men are.

Johnny Mac is an icon & sooo.. right , keep up the honest commentary!

John will always kick A** .He rocks and rolls .He is the TENNIS ? Voice or (what ever). John you ROCK....

“I hate to see this comparing” That’s what happens when you start trying to claim Serena is the greatest tennis player in the world, it’s just factually incorrect because the comparison has been made

McEnroe speaks the truth and Serena knows it. I think Serena knows she couldn't beat whoever is ranked 250. She just needs to save face and keep her brand up so she posted that tweet.

Way to prepare for an interview Dan. LMAO

I don’t understand this. The interviewer originally asked McEnroe why she’s not the best player in the world (man or woman) and he explained why. Why should he be punished for telling the truth?

Seems like McEnroe is as sick of this crap as I am. Good man. Completely forgot about Connors/Navratilova. The thing that really struck me about that one was the aftermath, the big takeaway from the spectacle... NOTHING. Not even a "Well, _that_ sucked." It began, it ended, and ten minutes later everyone completely forgot about the pointless spectacle. _And rightfully so._

Do people not realise Serena did challenge the number 200 player in the world a few years ago at the ausdtrqlian open. She lost 6-1. She later said she would like to challenge the 350 ranked player

I always loved John, he made me laugh when he played. There are no corners to John I thought, what you see, is what there is, and I loved that about him.

Good on you John.

I grew up watching John McEnroe at the height of his popularity in the 80's..as controversial as he was on the tennis court and out,he was ONE HELL of a player and he is right women can't compete with men in tennis or any type of sports for that matter..in the late 90's Serena and Venus Williams who are ranked the best in the world in the female circuit, claimed they could beat any man above the 200 world ranking for men and were challenged by a German player Karsten Braasch who at the time was ranked 203 in the mens circuit he was not in his top physical shape,was nursing a hangover having drunk the previous night and was smoking cigars between game breaks, while both of the Williams sisters were in the best shape of their lives and guess what..he still beat them both back to back like they owed him money..when it comes to strength,speed and endurance, men will always come on top..so this politically correct,whiny and crybaby generation and fucking feminists NEED to get over it!

I played USTA Juniors tennis as a kid, and was probably about two small steps away from being professional caliber. I've played and watched the game my entire life. McEnroe is correct. The famous Billie Jean King / Bobby Riggs match (where King 'won') was two things; 1) Riggs was long retired and about 20-25 years older than King; and 2) He wasn't even playing with effort. Another point. Look up Kaarsten Braasch and the Williams sisters - if you're curious about more. I'll load the Wikipedia detail here: {{ Another event dubbed a "Battle of the Sexes" took place during the 1998 Australian Open between Karsten Braasch and the Williams sisters. Venus and Serena Williams had claimed that they could beat any male player ranked outside the world's top 200, so Braasch, then ranked 203rd, challenged them both. Braasch was described by one journalist as "a man whose training regime centered around a pack of cigarettes and more than a couple bottles of ice cold lager". The matches took place on court number 12 in Melbourne Park, after Braasch had finished a round of golf and two beers. He first took on Serena and after leading 5-0, beat her 6-1. Venus then walked on court and again Braasch was victorious, this time winning 6-2. Braasch said afterwards, "500 and above, no chance". He added that he had played like someone ranked 600th in order to keep the game "fun". Braasch said the big difference was that men can chase down shots much easier, and that men put spin on the ball that the women can't handle. The Williams sisters adjusted their claim to beating men outside the top 350.}} That Braasch match was a younger and fitter Serena. She got 1 game off a guy ranked 203. Extrapolate to thinking about touring - Men's tennis (5 set matches, instead of 3) - and actually WINNING matches (not just 1 single game)? Nope - she'd be LUCKY to be ranked 700. She might not even crack the top 1000.

John - you are amazing - we all love you!

Salute to John! 👍❤️

"That's all you needed to say. You threw out the 700 number..." Pay attention, Dan. McEnroe was asked: "Why not just say she's the best *player*, rather than the best female player?"

I don't think she could beat # 900

There is nothing to explain. The guy is arguably the greatest tennis player of all times, and arguably the smartest. He's also the most honest.

How far does the men’s ranking go?

Dan Patrick is pretty ignorant for a sports reporter. The fact is Serena DID play the male ranked around 203 years ago. His name is Karsten Braasch, and he was messing around smoking and drinking beer while he played, and he still destroyed both Serena and Venus without trying. The truth is top high school boys can destroy Serena Williams.

The man is right. This is like the "Rousey would beat Mayweather" thing lol. Why do people love lies?

"...she's the greatest female tennis player ever". That's a compliment, I don't see why people got upset. If he said she was the greatest tennis player of all time that just wouldn't be true because there are men who could beat her. It's a reflection of the way the world is today, we have to make everybody happy, no one can be offended.

John McEnroe I love you. You were great on the tennis court and even in life. Your the man

McEnroe is wrong...........more accurate 1000-1500........

Summarized this whole incident since it bugged the shit out of me: The men's and women's tours are two different leagues. Serena has described them as almost two different sports. Actually, there isn't a men's tour. There's the ATP tour. It's comprised of all men, but there is no rule that women can't play. There's the WTA tour, which is segregated. Women only. This rule allows women's tennis to exist, otherwise the WTA would also be populated entirely by men, effectively doubling the size of the ATP. Women's tennis existing is an important thing. It makes money (not nearly as much as the ATP, but a lot) and it inspires girls and women. So it's good to have a separate woman's league. The leagues also have different rules, by the way. The women's tour allows on-court coaching, they use lighter balls at many events, and the biggest difference is the best-of-3 vs best-of-5 set format. Women never play more than 3 sets. Men go up to 5 sets. That's a huge difference, especially as you get older. It gets harder and harder to win those back-to-back 5 setters as you get older. That's why comparing Serena's 23 majors to Federer's 18 majors is ridiculous. Federer has it much harder than her. More sets, tougher, deeper competition. I'd be interested to see the comparison in the mileage on their bodies. I wouldn't be surprised if Federer has 3 or 4 times the mileage. He has had to work so much harder to achieve his greatness. And just compare their highlight reels. Actually, I've never once seen a Serena highlight reel. She doesn't do anything really crazy out there. She doesn't have to. Just stand on the baseline, BANG, BANG, and another little girl bites the dust. But some women, including Serena, decided to start some controversy. They started this talk of "why do they say best FEMALE player? Why can't they just say best player?" Serena started to get a chip on her shoulder, thinking she was a victim. Feminists started this movement of calling her the greatest tennis player, period. Not prefacing it with "female," which to them is insulting. McEnroe was asked, is Serena the best female tennis player ever? He said absolutely yes. This, by the way, is still arguable. Steffi Graf's career is more impressive in a lot of ways, and she was also a better athlete. Graf was actually regarded as Olympic quality. There's this idea that Serena is this super athlete. Not really. Her movement is lethargic, lazy. She's often off balance. She makes up for it with incredible ball striking (which is possible because the women she plays against tee up the ball nicely for her to wallop.) Her straight sprinting speed is pretty good for a female tennis player, but not the best (and would be considered horrible for a male - a man who moves that badly better be 7 feel tall and make up for it with his serve). Usain Bolt once attended one of her matches. She said she asked him afterwards if she could have been a sprinter. "No." That's all he said. Too polite to say "fuck no." Then the female interviewer asked him, why say female? Why not just the best tennis player, period? Uh...because that wouldn't be a factual statement. And here we are. Arguing about a basic fact of biology I learned when I was 5 years old watching the Olympics when I asked my mom if that female sprinter could beat the men, and my mom treated me like I was stupid for thinking that women were as strong as men. Why are we arguing about this? Because it's the latest feminist cause, grounded in emotion and hurt feelings, and some of us are handicapped in our need to be rational, to make sense. We're better off shutting the fuck up, and not answering these questions. "But Mr. McEnroe, why not just say she's the best tennis player ever, period. Why do you have to use the 'female' qualifier?" "Fair enough. Fair enough." "So do you agree?" "Hey, fair enough. Fair enough. Now, let's get back to the book I'm selling."

Few people on the planet know more about tennis than McEnroe, trust what he says.

The debate is force insanity. It’s like saying a featherweight champ would beat a heavyweight champ in boxing or MMA.

I have no clue who she could or couldn't beat, but I'm sure McEnroe does. I don't think he was trying to be disrespectful. She should play someone ranked about where she thinks she belongs and that way everyone will have a better idea and could let it rest. I'm sure ESPN would pay them a decent price.

Mac is the king. I love how he doesn’t back down on this topic.

The only problem, so to speak, is that the casual fan does not understand the rankings in tennis. Plainly, 700 sounds like a huge number.

McEnroe is correct ...in fact he was probably a bit generous to Serena as I think she'd be ranked well below 700 if she played on the men' s tour. As he said, to end the debate combine the tours and lets see how the women go.

His commentary in this interview was spot on.

Let's use an objective measure. The 100m world record for women is FloJo's 10.49sec established in 1988. No woman has even come close to that record in some time. The most recent top time is 10.70sec by Elaine Thompson of Jamaica in the 2016 Olympics. The men's 100m world record was already 10.4 in 1921 (Charles Paddock). In fact, with a time of 10.49sec a man cannot compete in the Olympics. His time would below the qualification standard. Hence, one can estimate that the top 100m woman sprinter would probably be ranked about 700 amongst the men's 100m runners. Clearly, one cannot compare men and women athletes against each other. This doesn't in any way diminish the accomplishments of the women. In sports, one competes against one's peers and one's greatness is determined by how well one performs against one's peers. Serena, Elaine Thompson, Muhammad Ali, Babe Didrikson, Diana Taurasi, Tom Brady, LeBron James, Messi et al are all great at their sports. McEnroe is only guilty of poor judgment. He probably shouldn't have allowed himself to be baited into answering a question that would only get the Twitterverse working in overdrive.

Larry David: "Hey Mac! I'm shitfaced! I can't drive the limo."

Mac spoke the truth and they attacked him. He initially said she was the best female player ever and they thought he was out of line and asked him why not call her the "BEST" player in the world? They couldn;t let well enough alone and he stood his ground, Good for him. Nadal would beat her 6-0 6-0 6-0 And Vegas would show the truth in the ODDS.

I don't know why more flak hasn't been directed at the NPR interviewer for posing such a mealy-mouthed, passive-aggressive, inuendo-laden question in the first place.

Saw Mac play in Orlando this year. Still plays very well. Great hands at net.

"Why don't they ask her to play Roger Federer?" ROFL. Point made.

An account of when the WIlliams sisters played the 203rd ranked player: 1998: Karsten Braasch vs. the Williams sisters Another event dubbed a "Battle of the Sexes" took place during the 1998 Australian Open between Karsten Braasch and the Williams sisters. Venus and Serena Williams had claimed that they could beat any male player ranked outside the world's top 200, so Braasch, then ranked 203rd, challenged them both. Braasch was described by one journalist as "a man whose training regime centered around a pack of cigarettes and more than a couple of bottles of ice cold lager". The matches took place on court number 12 in Melbourne Park, after Braasch had finished a round of golf and two shandies. He first took on Serena and after leading 5-0, beat her 6-1. Venus then walked on court and again Braasch was victorious, this time winning 6-2. Braasch said afterwards, "500 and above, no chance". He added that he had played like someone ranked 600th in order to keep the game "fun" and that the big difference was that men can chase down shots much easier and put spin on the ball that female players can't handle. The Williams sisters adjusted their claim to beating men outside the top 350.

True story the bad ass women's U.S. World Cup soccer team lost to 15 and under FC Dallas boys team. It wasn't even close.

Notice that not one of the talking heads who has admonished McEnroe for his comments has ever answered his question - 'where would YOU rank her then?' Not one. And it's because they all know full well that he's right. Over the course of a season, she'd get an upset win or two (most players do), but the totality of her results throughout the year would depress her ranking to a point where she absolutely would be in the high hundreds if she was forced to play on the men's circuit.

I don't know why he needs to explain. He was being kind to her when he said she'd be in the top 700. There are no less than 10,000 high school varsity boys players in the U.S., alone, that would manhandle the greatest professional female player, ever

Well, the thing is, JM is absolutely right

And the problem is??? Nothing.

Still watching this today. Crazy😂

John is unbelievably honest and a true spokesperson for the game. More people should be truly honest like him. Ask Shaq or MJ if the greatest woman’s basketball player could be ranked the best basketball player in the world over the men. They would be honest too and say, no freakin way in hell. I think we should do a re-match of that vintage match with BJK and Bobby, but with Serena W and Rafa Nadal. We need to make sure that Rafa plays at 100% and doesn’t give any points or games. Let’s see how that plays out and then we can talk results. My thoughts, Serena would be lucky to win a point a game. Actually winning a game in the match would be a major accomplishment for her. John McEnroe is a legend as a tennis player and as a broadcaster.

Great job well said John 👏🏼👏🏼 good sportsmanship 💯☝️

She and her sister lost to a guy ranked 200. He killed them after a round of golf and some brews

Exactly. Point blank. Nothing additional needs to be said. No, Mcenroe does not owe anyone an apology and I applaud him for not allowing himself to be shamed into giving one...... AKA Drew Brees..... Our society has become so lost in identity, redefining identity, gender, redefining gender, etc..... To the point that we major in everything that means nothing and Minor in everything that does matter. Let the analysts talk. Let the players play. Let them both do what they get paid to do and shut up....... In other words, let's go back to our existence before Woke and let grown adults get back to acting like grown adults.

Your amazing John that's why ❤

I had to live to the day where McEnroe will be f....g politically correct. 700th?! It is absolutely impossible for her to get even close to 2000th. And that is me being "correct"!

So disappointed in Dan with that 250 ranking estimate. Especially when she got destroyed by a 203rd rank. C'mon Dan.

Well said John and thank you for sticking to your guns.

There is nothing to explain here. An old boss of mine is a NCAA Womens Basketball Referee (Big 10). He loves women's hoops and is crazy liberal-so no bias. He told me that a good high school boys team from a mid size city would beat the WNBA champ.

Serena Williams is the heaviest player in the tennis history. Can we agree on that ?