And once again, John McEnroe can’t stop talking about Serena Williams. Just when you thought everyone realized how insanely inappropriate it has always been to compare great women athletes to men, we find that McEnroe has Serena’s name all up in his mouth once again.
The seven-time major champion who was doing a book tour to promote a new memoir “But Seriously,” used Serena as a launching point to show how much better HE is over HER by comparison.
Real live sucker shtick right here, saying Williams would be “like No. 700 in the world.” if she competed on the men’s tennis circuit.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t think Serena is an incredible player. I do, but 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. “But if she had to just play the circuit — the men’s circuit — that would be an entirely different story.”
In McEnroe’s first book “You Can’t Be Serious” he had some harsh things to say about then rival Andre Agassi, now he has the Williams sisters in his sights in his new memoir, of which I’m certain he’ll be framed as an objective observer rather than just another hater. Lame.
This is like McEnroe’s third bio. Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam titles, while John McEnroe 18 by comparison. Serena also has 14 double titles. McEnroe has none.
Could this be a subconscious thorn in his side? Impossible to know, but it’s apparent that he has a “thing” for the Williams’ family.
Only he knows just what that “thing” is.
Perhaps it’s the never ending need to minimize a woman’s remarkable accomplishments through a male, chauvinistic lens. When people say that Serena is the greatest and most dominant athlete in the world today, and perhaps ever once her legendary career comes to an end, it doesn’t take long for some to show their true colors.
And McEnroe, no matter how much he’d like to justify and clarify his words, is front and center as exhibit A.
