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John McEnroe: Serena Williams comments ‘didn’t go over big with my daughters’

Serena Williams looks on with John McEnroe before their match at the DIRECTV ESPN US Open Experience promoting DIRECTV’s mosaic coverage of the US Open August 26, 2009 at Bryant Park in New York Cty. (Rob Tringali/Getty Images for DirecTV)
Serena Williams looks on with John McEnroe before their match at the DIRECTV ESPN US Open Experience promoting DIRECTV’s mosaic coverage of the US Open August 26, 2009 at Bryant Park in New York Cty. (Rob Tringali/Getty Images for DirecTV)
By Juliakate E Culpepper
June 28, 2017

Anna, Ava and Emily McEnroe were not pleased with their father’s comments regarding Serena Williams this week.

In an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday night, McEnroe revealed his daughters have given him some grief over saying the 23-time Grand Slam winner would be ranked "like No. 700" if she played on the men's circuit during an NPR interview.

"My girls don't think I can beat her now,” McEnroe said to Colbert. “I thought I could beat her. She's pregnant so maybe I should play her now. Might have a better chance. But either way I wish her the absolute best. She's the best thing that's happened to American tennis in the past 10, 15 years."

Williams fired back on Twitter on Monday writing in part, "Dear John, I adore and respect you but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based."

In an appearance on CBS This Morning earlier on Tuesday, McEnroe refused to apologize for his comments.

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