"Dear John McEnroe, please keep me out of your statements"- When pregnant Serena Williams was dismayed by American saying she'd be No. 700 in ATP Tour

Serena Williams was once disheartened by John McEnroe's remarks on how she would fare on the ATP Tour.

In an interview to promote his memoir 'But Seriously' in 2017, McEnroe opined that if Williams were to compete on the men's circuit, her level of success wouldn't live up to her achievements in the women's game and suggested that she would be ranked around World No. 700.

"If she played the men's circuit, she'd be (ranked) like 700 in the world," McEnroe told NPR.

However, the seven-time Grand Slam champion also gave Williams her due, hailing her as an "incredible" player and highlighting her remarkable mental strength. Nevertheless, he maintained that her success wouldn't translate to the ATP Tour.

"That doesn't mean I don't think Serena is an incredible player. I do. On a given day, Serena could beat some players," he said.

"I believe because she's so incredibly strong mentally that she could overcome some situations where players would choke, because she's been in it so many times, so many situations at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, etcetera. But if she had to just play the circuit - the men's circuit - that would be an entirely different story," he added.

Serena Williams, who was pregnant with her first child at the time, didn't take kindly to John McEnroe's remarks. While she emphasized her admiration and respect for McEnroe, she urged him to refrain from making unsubstantiated comments about her abilities.

"Dear John, I adore and respect you, but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based," she posted on X (formerly Twitter) in June 2017.

Williams also politely requested that McEnroe respect her privacy during her pregnancy.

"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 commented further.

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"I've had to hear it for the last 25 years that Serena Williams would have beaten me; I don't like that part" - John McEnroe

Serena Williams (left) and John McEnroe

In an interview with GQ Sports in 2022, John McEnroe critiqued tennis scenes in Hollywood movies, praising the depiction of the sport in the 2017 film 'Battle of the Sexes,' which is based on Billie Jean King's iconic win over Bobby Riggs.

McEnroe also highlighted his deeper understanding and empathy towards women's players since becoming a father to four daughters, expressing his joy regarding King's triumph over Riggs.

"I became a father later, obviously, but I had four girls. So, and two boys. And so from that aspect alone, and I really sort of empathize and related and was happy that as it turned out Billie Jean ended up winning that message," he said.

However, McEnroe emphasized his dissatisfaction with the prevalent belief stemming from King's win that Serena Williams would have beaten him on court.

"Although I've had to hear it for the last 25 years that Serena (Williams) would have beaten me, so (I) don't like that part," he added.