Outspoken tennis legend John McEnroe stood by a statement he’d made earlier in the week about tennis great Serena Williams — and he’s being labeled sexist because of it.
But was he merely stating the truth?
He told NPR on Sunday that Williams was “the greatest female tennis player in the world.”
Then he stuck his foot in his mouth when asked why he qualified his assessment by limiting it to female players only.
“If she played the men’s circuit she’d be like 700 in the world,” he replied.
Williams didn’t take his remarks lying down. The 35-year-old has won 23 grand slam singles titles so far in her career and was the only woman in Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes in 2017.
She shot back:
Dear John, I adore and respect you but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based.
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) June 26, 2017
As for those 700 male athletes, Williams tweeted:
I’ve never played anyone ranked “there” nor do I have time. Respect me and my privacy as I’m trying to have a baby. Good day sir
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) June 26, 2017
But the funny thing is, Williams admitted just a few years ago that men’s and women’s tennis are two different animals altogether.
“The men are a lot faster,” she said in a 2013 interview. “They serve harder, they hit harder — it’s just a different game.”
Her remarks — both past and present — were also discussed on ABC News.
CNN’s Don Lemon urges media to ‘turn the cameras on,’ disobey ‘blackballing’ White House
McEnroe was given the opportunity to walk his opinion back during his appearance on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert Tuesday night. He admitted he should have remained silent on that one, but refused to take the remark back.
“It didn’t go big with my daughters either, okay?” he said when Colbert mentioned his NPR assessment of Williams.
“You cannot be serious,” Colbert told him.
“Remember ‘The Honeymooners?’ — Ralph Kramden?” the tennis legend asked. “Me and my big mouth!”
McEnroe went on to explain that when assessing female athletes “You get into a little different category,” and said, for example that women basketball players can’t be compared to Michael Jordan.
“People always ask me, ‘Can you beat Serena Williams?’” the 58-year-old McEnroe added. “My girls don’t think I can beat her now. I thought I can beat her. She’s pregnant so maybe I should play her now.”
He added his own personal kudos to the tennis star.
“But either way I wish her the absolute best,” he said of Williams. “She’s the best thing that’s happened to American tennis in the last 10, 15 years.”
Wake up right! Receive our free morning news blast HERE
CNN’s Acosta has meltdown number 3, incensed that ‘WH takes questions from conservatives’
Clip via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- ‘Act like a grownup’: Drunk driver sobs when she loses plea deal by coming 4 hours late to court - July 23, 2017
- ‘I would’ve fired her the day I met her’: Glenn Beck reveals more about Tomi Lahren mess - July 23, 2017
- Canadian thug beats 74-year-old cyclist bloody with a club in road rage fit– and they say US is more violent? - July 23, 2017
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
