"John McEnroe was right about Serena Williams. But here's what he forgot."

It happened for the first time in early high school.

One of my classmates had been selected to play soccer at a national level, an unequivocally enormous achievement.

She trained morning and night. Her body looked like it had been genetically modified to be the best soccer player that ever lived, her legs long and lean, with muscular calves and agile ankles.

And then one day, her boyfriend who attended a neighbouring school said, “yeah – I’m sure she’s good. But, like, I could beat her.”

LISTEN: Mia Freedman, Monique Bowley and I argue about John McEnroe’s comments on Mamamia Out Loud. According to the tennis great, Serena Williams couldn’t beat the top 700 male players. Post continues below. 

He had never been chosen for a national squad. He didn’t train day and night. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was faster and stronger than him. But with a throwaway quip, he not only dismissed her status as an outstanding soccer player, but simultaneously the sporting achievements of any woman who reaches the top of her field.

She might be good, he’d laughed. She might as well be the best female soccer player in the universe. But she’ll never be as good as ‘him’, and it’s important she knows that.

And this week, the same sentiment was promulgated on the world stage by none other than John McEnroe.

You can be the best female tennis player the world has ever seen, he said. But you can never, ever compete with men.

In an interview with NPR, McEnroe commented that Serena Williams, 23 time grand slam winner, is the "best female player ever - no question."

His interviewer, Lulu Garcia-Navarro,  asked “Some wouldn’t qualify it, some would say she’s the best player in the world. Why qualify it... You know, why say female player?"

McEnroe, a man well acquainted with controversy, responded, “Well because if she was in, if she played the men’s circuit, she’d be, like, 700 in the world.”

And then came the headlines.

People were mad, and rightfully so. Among them, was Serena Williams who tweeted, “Dear John, I adore and respect you but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based," followed by, “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.”

Yes. Williams has been very busy winning grand slams while pregnant which, according to my research, a man has never managed to do.

But let's actually consider McEnroe's point of view. Although his statement might be hyperbolic (it's impossible to know), he has a point. Williams, by her own admission, could not beat the likes of Andy Murray.

"I would lose 6-0, 6-0 in five to six minutes, maybe 10 minutes,” she once said. “It’s a completely different sport... I only want to play girls, because I don’t want to be embarrassed..."

We're equal, but we're not the same.

Williams is one of the best female tennis players of all time. Remarking that she wouldn't beat men at the same level, is akin to saying "Yes - but she's not the world number one at figure skating!" or "She might be good, but stick her on a rugby field and see what happens!"

Useless. Obvious. Entirely unproductive.

LISTEN: You can listen to the full episode of Mamamia Out Loud, where we discuss the age of anxiety, why hobbies are so important and the relationship tests that we're all guilty of. Post continues below. 

It's a sad day when a former world number one tennis player, now ranked number four, who has won the second most grand slam titles of any woman (or man) in history, is offhandedly belittled for not winning at a game she never signed up to play.

Like soccer and rugby, or diving and European handball, there are some comparisons that are futile.

As Albert Einstein famously said, "If you judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

Let's stop berating women for not being able to beat men at their own game.