McEnroe had claimed that Serena, who is the best player of her gender, would be ranked 700 if she plays on the men's circuit.
Serena Williams was in no mood to allow a painful tumble to divert her from her path to a sixth Australian Open title on Tuesday and duly delivered a resounding 6-0, 6-0 win to open her campaign at the year's first Grand Slam.
As the 2025 French Open looms, all eyes may be on reigning champions and top seeds - but lurking just beneath the surface are several players quietly building momentum, ready to crash the party in Paris. From seasoned champions finding renewed form to rising stars with something to prove, here are four dark horses who could shake up the women's singles draw at Roland Garros.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion has retorted to former tennis ace John McEnroe's comments, saying she would struggle on the men's circuit.
Justine Henin and Serena Williams will square up in a battle of former champions at the U.S. Open on Tuesday, while Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic headline the action in the men's event.
Petra Kvitova is not the type to talk herself up even if she does arrive at Wimbledon as the defending champion.
World No 1 Serena Williams edged an enthralling battle with third-seed Simona Halep.
With the whiff of a fifth Wimbledon singles title in the air, grass court predator Serena Williams cut down defending champion Petra Kvitova to move ominously into the semi-finals on Tuesday.
The former world number one is suffering from a knee injury.\n\n
Venus Williams' return to Indian Wells lasted just one match but sister Serena looked poised for a long run after a dominant win at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday. Venus returned to the event for the first time since 2001, having boycotted it after being booed and heckled by fans during her previous trip, but made a quick exit after a 6-4 6-3 defeat to Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara in the second round. The 15-year-old incident had occurred when Venus withdrew from a semi-final match with Serena, drawing ire from the crowd aimed at the Williams family. This time, though, Venus was greeted warmly by the crowd before her match and throughout it, a consolation for her poor performance. "It was enough of a fairytale to come here and play," Venus told reporters. "A win would have been nice, but that means I have to come back, play next year."
The former world No 1 has her sights set on the upcoming Australian Open as her comeback platform, and she's already deep into training following what she playfully terms 'a cool little intermission'.
Agnieszka Radwanska could achieve all her tennis ambitions this weekend after becoming the first Pole to reach a Grand Slam final for 73 years by outwitting German Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-4 at Wimbledon on Thursday.
Sania Mirza exuded confidence that she and Rohan Bopanna are prepared to pose a strong challenge to their formidable rivals in the Hopman Cup.
Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard swatted aside an out-of-sorts Serena Williams 6-2, 6-1 at the Hopman Cup in Perth on Tuesday.
Maria Sharapova made it to her maiden semi-finals of the French Open by beating fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze 6-3, 6-4.
The triumph also lifted the 26-year-old back to the summit of the world rankings for the first time since August 2003 and this time she does not want to let go.
Serena Williams laid down an imposing marker ahead of the first grand slam of the year by powering to a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka at the Brisbane International.
Former champion Iga Swiatek kicked off her US Open campaign with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Colombia's Emiliana Arango on Tuesday as the Pole aims to keep her hot streak on track in New York.
There are only a certain number of ways to avoid addressing your chances of winning the Australian Open but Kim Clijsters found yet another on Sunday at Melbourne Park.
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are not just playing for Olympic gold at Wimbledon. There's a career Golden Slam on the line, too.
Top seed Nicole Vaidisova was dumped out of the Family Circle Cup on Tuesday in a second-round loss to Michaella Krajicek.
Defending champion Serena Williams was knocked out by Jelena Jankovic in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
Russia's Maria Sharapova booked her spot in the last four of the Australian Open on Wednesday with a surprisingly simple 6-2, 6-3 win over compatriot Ekaterina Makarova. She will face Czech Petra Kvitova.
Serena Williams may be the overwhelming favorite but the World No 1 is anything but a sure bet to win a U.S. Open overflowing with intriguing possibilities.
Serena Williams was left all alone trying to crush an unlikely uprising on Wimbledon's hallowed lawns on Tuesday as sister Venus and Kim Clijsters suffered shock defeats in the women's quarter-finals.
Defending champions Serena and Venus Williams defeated Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6-4, 6-3 to win the Australian Open women's doubles title on Friday, maintaining the partnership's perfect record in grand slam finals.
Petra Kvitova's hopes of defending her Wimbledon title were shot to pieces in a hail of Centre Court cannon fire from Serena Williams who ousted the defending champion 6-3, 7-5 in their quarter-final on Tuesday.
Along with film stars and fashion icons, sports stars and their better halves also showed off their whacky creations on the pink carpet.
Coco Gauff claimed the biggest win of her young career on Friday with a stunning upset of defending champion Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open to reach the fourth round. Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams also lost their respective matches earlier in the day. Images from Day 5 of the Australian Open played at Melbourne Park on Friday.
It was an emotional win for Aryna Sabalenka, who missed Wimbledon last month due to a shoulder injury.
Maria Sharapova must be driving herself crazy every time she steps on court to face Serena Williams.
Serena Williams's health and gamesmanship were the subjects on everyone's lips at the French Open.
Photos from the matches played at the Miami Open on Monday
American World No 1 Serena Williams will miss three tournaments in the build-up to the US Open due to surgery on her right foot, the WTA Tour said on Saturday.
They were each handed a torch in the Jardin des Tuileries after several top sporting names, including French soccer great Zinedine Zidane, Spain's 14-times French Open tennis champion Rafael Nadal, American 23-times Grand Slam winner Serena Williams and Romanian gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci.
'She's a fighter on the court. She's playing really great, especially on the grass. She's attacking that ball really well. She doesn't let anything limit her'
