--- title: John McEnroe: Serena Williams Would Rank 700 Among Men description: "If she played the men's circuit she'd be like 700 in the world," McEnroe told NPR in a recent interview. canonical: https://time.com/4832543/john-mcenroe-serena-williams/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-26T12:14:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:13.633Z article:section: Sports og:title: John McEnroe: Serena Would Be the 700th Best Men’s Player og:description: "If she played the men's circuit she'd be like 700 in the world" og:url: https://time.com/4832543/john-mcenroe-serena-williams/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb57a8dd5af970f58/6988d33d096a94305c69e83b/gettyimages-631178734.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3755 og:image:height: 2112 og:image:alt: 2016 PowerShares QQQ Cup og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John McEnroe: Serena Would Be the 700th Best Men’s Player twitter:description: "If she played the men's circuit she'd be like 700 in the world" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb57a8dd5af970f58/6988d33d096a94305c69e83b/gettyimages-631178734.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 00:58 video:published: 2014-04-24 section: sports topics: family influence, sisters and family bond, tennis, TIME 100 recognition, personal influence, positivity, daily motivation genre: interview, personal reflection tones: warm, reflective, positive, humble emotions: pride (medium), gratitude (medium), warmth (medium), optimism (low) sentiment: positive audience: sports fans, Serena Williams followers, TIME readers, people interested in influence and leadership people: Serena Williams organizations: TIME transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # John McEnroe Says Serena Williams Would Be the 700th Best Men’s Tennis Player > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Serena Williams on Her Biggest Influence [Watch (HLS stream): Serena Williams on Her Biggest Influence](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zdwprGtE.m3u8) (0:58)  _Published 2014-04-24. Serena Williams talks about the importance of family._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Serena Williams answers a question about the most influential person in her life, saying it is hard to name just one but that her family, including her mom, dad and sisters, has been the greatest influence. She describes a childhood centered on family support and protecting one another, and says she still lives with her sister and plays tennis with her. She also reflects on being named to the TIME 100 and says she tries to stay positive and do her best each day. ## Key points - Serena Williams says it is hard to name a single most influential person, but mostly points to her family. (00:02) - Her family includes her mom, dad and sisters, and she describes growing up in an environment focused on family and mutual support. (00:10) - She says the family ethos of protecting each other continues, with her still living with her sister. (00:21) - She says she still plays tennis with her sister and does many things together with her. (00:25) - She describes her family as a family unit that is very important to her. (00:32) - She says being on the TIME 100 list is exciting and great for her to be considered among the most influential people. (00:36) - She says she tries to do the best she can every day. (00:43) - She says she tries to stay positive through ups and downs and keep a smile on her face, hoping to influence people to be their best. (00:46) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:36] Family as the biggest influence. Williams names her family, including her mom, dad and sisters, as the people who have most influenced her and describes their close bond. - [00:36 to 00:58] TIME 100 and staying positive. Williams reflects on being named to the TIME 100 list and describes her daily approach of doing her best and staying positive. ## Key quotes - [00:10] Serena Williams: "My mom, my dad, and my sisters." - [00:21] Serena Williams: "just always making sure that we protected each other." - [00:25] Serena Williams: "We still play tennis together." - [00:32] Serena Williams: "it's like a family unit for me that's just so important." - [00:43] Serena Williams: "I just try to do the best I can everyday." - [00:50] Serena Williams: "I always try to stay positive through the ups and the downs" ## Questions this video answers - Who has been the most influential person in Serena Williams's life? [00:02] - What role does family play in Serena Williams's life? [00:10] - Does Serena Williams still live with and play tennis with her sister? [00:21] - How does Serena Williams feel about being on the TIME 100 list? [00:36] - How does Serena Williams approach daily life and setbacks? [00:43] by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 26, 2017 12:14 PM UTC  Tennis player John McEnroe plays tennis at the 2016 PowerShares QQQ Cup at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on January 7, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Tennis player John McEnroe plays tennis at the 2016 PowerShares QQQ Cup at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on January 7, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. J. Kempin—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 26, 2017 12:14 PM UTC In an [interview](http://www.npr.org/2017/06/25/534149646/but-seriously-tennis-great-john-mcenroe-says-hes-seeking-inner-peace) discussing his new book, retired tennis star John McEnroe said that while he believes Serena Williams is the greatest female tennis player ever, she would rank “like 700 in the world.” “If she played the men’s circuit she’d be like 700 in the world,” McEnroe told NPR in response to a question about why he doesn’t call Serena the best player, period. “That doesn’t mean I don’t think Serena is an incredible player. I do, but the reality of what would happen would be I think something that perhaps it’d be a little higher, perhaps it’d be a little lower.” As the [Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/06/25/john-mcenroe-if-serena-williams-played-the-mens-circuit-shed-rank-like-700/?utm%5Fterm=.87e2054afd5d) pointed out, despite having won 23 Grand Slam titles, Williams herself has made a similar argument in the past, saying as much when asked about playing against Andy Murray during a 2013 appearance on [_Late Night With David Letterman_](http://www.thewrap.com/serena-williams-andy-murray-would-beat-me-6-0-6-0-5-minutes-video-112836/). “For me, mens’ tennis and womens’ tennis are completely, almost, two separate sports,” Williams said. “If I were to play Andy Murray, I would lose 6-0, 6-0 in five to six minutes, maybe 10 minutes.” McEnroe was also asked about a match proposed by President Donald Trump, who challenged the seven-time majors singles champion to [take on one of the Williams sisters in a battle-of-the-sexes](http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=100632&page=1). He said he didn’t really want to do it, but thought he had a good chance at beating her. “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,” he said. Still, [Williams continues to practice](https://www.si.com/tennis/2017/06/15/serena-williams-pregnant-seven-months-practice) even while seven months into her pregnancy. ## Transcript [00:02] The most influential person for me has always been hard [00:05] just to name one single person, but I would say mostly [00:10] my family. My mom, my dad, and my sisters. They just, we [00:14] grew up in such an environment where it was all about [00:16] family and all about, you know, supporting each other and [00:21] just always making sure that we protected each other. So [00:25] even to this day I still live with my sister. We still play tennis [00:29] together. We do so, so, so many things and so, it's like a [00:32] family unit for me that's just so important. Being on the [00:36] Time 100 list is really exciting to be considered as one of [00:40] the most, 100 most influential people, for me, it's great. I [00:43] just try to do the best I can everyday. And I always try to [00:46] stay positive through the ups and the downs and often try to [00:50] keep a smile on my face, so hopefully I can influence [00:54] people out there to just be the best that they can. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4832543/john-mcenroe-serena-williams/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4832543/john-mcenroe-serena-williams/"},"headline":"John McEnroe Says Serena Williams Would Be the 700th Best Men’s Tennis Player","datePublished":"2017-06-26T12:14:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:54:13.633Z","description":"\"If she played the men's circuit she'd be like 700 in the world,\" McEnroe told NPR","url":"https://time.com/4832543/john-mcenroe-serena-williams/","keywords":["tennis","Donald Trump","serena williams","Andy Murray","Sports"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb57a8dd5af970f58/6988d33d096a94305c69e83b/gettyimages-631178734.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb57a8dd5af970f58/6988d33d096a94305c69e83b/gettyimages-631178734.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2016 PowerShares QQQ Cup","caption":"2016 PowerShares QQQ Cup","creditText":"J. 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