‘Serena would be ‘number 700 in world’ in men’s tennis’

Serena Williams would struggle to be in the world`s top 700 if she was on the men`s circuit, according to seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe.

And the male player ranked 701 in the world - Dmitry Tursunov - believes he could beat her too.

Speaking to US radio station NPR, McEnroe said of world number one Williams, who has won an Open-era record 23 Grand Slams: "If she played the men`s circuit she`d be, like, 700 in the world."

He qualified the comments by saying: "That doesn`t mean I don`t think Serena is an incredible player, and I suppose anything`s possible; maybe at some point a women`s tennis player can be better than anybody."

But he added: "I just haven`t seen that in any other sport, and I haven`t seen it in tennis. If she had to just play the men`s circuit, it would be an entirely different story."

Williams later responded on Twitter: "Dear John, I adore and respect you but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based.

"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."

`She is pregnant, and I`m not`

Tursunov, 34, was once ranked as high as 20th in the world.

The Russian told BBC World Service Sport he did not think McEnroe was "trying to talk women`s tennis down" but said "the reality" was that "men are stronger in general".

"I would hope that I would win against Serena," he added.

"It would be a similar argument to: who would run faster, the fastest woman or the fastest man? Tennis is becoming more and more a physical sport, so it`s going to be hard for a woman to beat the men.

"It`s not black and white, there are lots of factors to take into account. Physically I might not be in the best shape of my life but as an overall package I`m much better than my ranking would suggest. She is pregnant, and I`m not.

"I`ve never heard John say anything absolutely stupid - he knows his stuff. What he said about her being an incredible player is correct - explosive, powerful and she puts in a lot of work. But I would hope that I would win."

Source: Agencies