While saying that she’s the best female tennis player in the world, former world No. 1 John Mcenroe believes that Serena Williams would rank 700th if she competed on the men’s tour. During an interview with NPR, McEnroe called Serena the “best female player ever — no question, but if she played the men's circuit she'd be like 700 in the world." McEnroe clarified his statement, saying that it doesn’t mean that Serena is not an incredible player: “But if she had to just play the circuit — the men's circuit — that would be an entirely different story,” he said.
The 60-year-old McEnroe was slighted when the reporter asked him if he could beat Serena in a singles match now while she’s pregnant. “The way you put that makes me think that you have your doubts,” he told the reporter. Throughout the course of her career, Williams has won a record 23 Grand Slam titles but pregnancy temporarily prevented her from pursuing a 24th. It was later revealed that the 35-year-old Williams was almost two months pregnant when she won her 23rd Grand Slam crown at the 2017 Australian Open. She will deliver her first child with fiancé, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, later in the year.
Serena accidentally revealed pregnancy
In April, Serena revealed the news of her first pregnancy on Snapchat, posting a photo of herself showing off her baby bump at 20 weeks.
She later admitted that posting it was an accident, saying she was only documenting her pregnancy privately. Williams will be the second WTA player to give birth this year. Former No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka left the tour recently to give birth to her son. She is planning to return in July after Wimbledon.
Williams to continue playing after giving birth
Williams, for her part, said she will continue her career after giving birth, refuting claims that she should retire. Recently, she posted a video of herself playing tennis while seven months pregnant. For now, Williams is spending her time focusing on her family, business, and her charity work.
Recently, Williams was announced as the new ambassador for the Allstate Foundation Purple Purse, which focuses on the financial side of domestic violence.
Williams said there are many instances in which abusers can keep their partners from leaving by restricting access to funds or denying them their livelihood and employment. "It's an invisible form of abuse that I think people really don't know about and don't see," Williams said.
