John McEnroe Will Not Apologize for His Comment on Serena Williams
Retired tennis player John McEnroe will not retract the comments he made against Serena Williams nor will he apologize for it.
Speaking to CBS' "This Morning," McEnroe told host Norah O'Donnell that he will not apologize for the comments he uttered on NPR on Sunday. And when he was asked why he made such a statement, he answered, "It wasn't necessary. I didn't know it would create controversy."
Despite talking trash about the world's top female tennis player, he believes that Williams is "the greatest female player that ever lived."
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In an interview with US radio network NPR, McEnroe said that the top female tennis player in the world would "be like 700 in the world" if she played in the men's division.
Williams took to Twitter to respond to McEnroe's controversial statements. She wrote, "Dear John, I adore and respect you but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based."
In a succeeding tweet, she asked for some respect and privacy, especially now that she is carrying her first child. She announced her pregnancy in mid-April, telling fans that she was 20 weeks pregnant at that time.
Meanwhile, Russian tennis player Dmitry Tursunov, who currently ranks 700th in the men's circuit, expressed that he hopes he would win against Williams. In an interview with BBC, he said that McEnroe's statement was not meant as an attack on women and that it was based on a general fact, that men are stronger than men.
Tursunov has slid far down the ranks. He used to hold the 20th spot in the roster. Although he is not his best shape, he believes that he could beat Williams.
Williams has 23 singles Grand Slam titles under her belt and 14 in doubles.
More updates should follow.
