"My kids don't think I can beat Serena Williams anymore" - When John McEnroe proposed Roger Federer as a better potential opponent for fellow American
John McEnroe once revealed that his children didn't believe he had the ability to defeat Serena Williams. McEnroe instead proposed that Roger Federer would be a more suitable opponent for Williams in a potential 'Battle of the Sexes' clash.
McEnroe was once offered a hefty sum of $1 million by Donald Trump to face Venus or Serena Williams in a 'Battle of the Sexes' encounter. However, the former World No. 1 turned down the offer, asserting he had never wanted to "go play a woman in a match."
John McEnroe expressed a similar sentiment in a 2017 interview with NPR when questioned about potentially squaring off against Serena Williams following his controversial comment that she would be the World No. 700 if she competed in men's tennis.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion shared his reluctance to face his compatriot, arguing that Roger Federer would be a more fitting opponent for Williams rather than an "old fart" like himself.
"Well I've thought about it. I didn't really want to do it, personally. I don't know, people always seemed — I would say why don't they go ask Roger Federer? Or someone, you know they added the old fart that's you know 25 years over the hill," McEnroe said.
McEnroe also admitted that his children didn't believe he could beat Williams, playfully suggesting that his best shot might be to challenge the 23-time Grand Slam champion while she was pregnant.
"And I think I can still play and I think I could still — I mean my kids don't think I can beat her anymore. Maybe I should get her now because she's pregnant, but the truth is that I think that sometimes --I don't know why in tennis, I get it's that one battle of the sexes when Bobby Riggs played Billie Jean," he added.
Serena Williams was expecting her first child with husband Alexis Ohanian at the time, with the couple welcoming their daughter Olympia in September later that year.
"My kids do, so feel free to" - John McEnroe addressed 'doubts' about his ability to challenge Serena Williams at nearly 60 years old
During the same interview, the reporter questioned whether John McEnroe genuinely believed that he could defeat Serena Williams despite being nearly 60 years of age. In response, the American called out the reporter's skepticism regarding his chances.
"The way you put that makes me think that you have your doubts," McEnroe said.
McEnroe disclosed that his children harbored similar doubts but emphasized that he had made the effort to maintain his athleticism even in retirement. The seven-time Grand Slam champion asserted that, if such a match with Williams was scheduled, he would train "very seriously" to ensure that he was at his physical best for the contest.
"Well, you know, my kids do, so feel free to. But there's people that because of course as you get older — I'm not sure how athletic you are and how often you get out in whatever sport it is, but I have kept at it regularly. I've done it sort of doing this playing some other guys close to my age even though they keep getting younger and younger," he said.
"Obviously, if I was going to do something like that, I would train very seriously for that to make sure my body was at, like, the peak it could be. Absolutely — to try and be as ready as I possibly could, but I bring things to the table, certainly until recently," he added.
Although the former World No. 1 conceded that he might be past his prime, he still maintained that he had something to offer.
"I may be way past it, but I can still bring a few things to the table and so that's why I guess people still find it interesting to even talk about," McEnroe said.
Despite John McEnroe's confidence in his abilities, no such match ever materialized. Serena Williams even requested that McEnroe keep her "out of his statements that are not factually based" following this interview.