John McEnroe's huge reveal in Serena Williams-Margaret Court furore
John McEnroe has declared Serena Williams "the greatest player who ever lived" amid debate over who is the GOAT in women's tennis.
Williams will 'evolve away' from professional tennis after the US Open - starting on August 29.
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The 23-time grand slam champion announced earlier this month that she'll hang up the racquet after her home grand slam in order to grow her family.
Reacting to the news and Williams' illustrious career, McEnroe told Eurosport on Tuesday: "You can look at the accomplishments, she has the grand slam victories.
"The way that she moves the needle when she plays, it's like Tiger Woods and golf. When she plays, it's a whole different story.
"Off the court, I don't know as well, I know that she's had a lot of difficulties in her life that she talks about in her own documentaries, but she has come out the other end as this icon, global superstar.
"Her story alone, what she represents as someone who's an African-American girl who came from a tough situation, and became the greatest player that ever lived.
"What that represents for us, and maybe around the world, is an opportunity that it can happen to anyone potentially."
Serena Williams' dig at Margaret Court's record
But McEnroe's comments might not go down well with tennis fans who believe Aussie legend Court is the GOAT.
Court holds the all-time record with 24 grand slam titles - one ahead of Williams.
She won her 23rd major at the Australian Open in 2017 while pregnant with daughter Alexis Olympia, but has lost in four grand slam finals since that time.
Williams addressed Court's record and the 'GOAT' debate in her retirement announcement, pointing out that Court won all of her titles before the professional era of tennis.
"There are people who say I'm not the GOAT (greatest of all time) because I didn't pass Court's record, which she achieved before the 'Open era' that began in 1968," the 41-year-old wrote in an article for Vogue.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want that record. Obviously I do. But day to day, I'm really not thinking about her.
"If I'm in a Slam final, then yes, I'm thinking about that record. Maybe I thought about it too much, and that didn't help."
Williams has had four opportunities to equal Court's record, making the Wimbledon and US Open finals in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019.
However she's fallen at the final hurdle on every occasions, leaving her stranded on 23 majors and one behind Court.
“The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams," she said.
"I had my chances after coming back from giving birth. I went from a C-section to a second pulmonary embolism to a grand slam final. I played while breastfeeding. I played through post-partum depression.
“But I didn’t get there. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn’t show up the way I should have or could have.
"But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine. Actually it’s extraordinary. But these days, if I have to choose between building my tennis resumé and building my family, I choose the latter.”
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