"Lot of people have a problem with us, because we're not too friendly" - When Serena Williams snapped back after John McEnroe's 'humility' suggestion

Serena Williams once responded strongly after she and her sister Venus were criticized by fellow American John McEnroe. The seven-time Grand Slam champion had accused them of lacking respect and humility.

McEnroe criticized both Serena and Venus, acknowledging their early achievements as impressive but saying they needed to tone it down. He accused them of not showing enough respect to their opponents, which he saw as a negative trait.

"What they have achieved is great, but they have no respect for anyone in the game. Enough Is Enough. Would it kill them to say hello to people in the locker room?” he said in 2000 (via The Guardian).

Serena Williams didn’t take McEnroe’s comments lightly and made sure to set the record straight. In an interview with The Guardian that same year, she explained that she, Venus, and their parents, Richard and Oracene, preferred to stay close as a family. It wasn’t about avoiding conversations with fellow players, but rather about maintaining a professional relationship.

The 23-time Major champion believed that keeping a certain level of distance helped preserve her competitive edge and ultimately benefited her career.

"I'm always around my mom, my dad, Venus, my whole family," she said. "The world is not perfect. Just stick close to yourself and be not too friendly. That's why a lot of people have a problem with us, because we're not too friendly with anyone. We're cordial, we say 'hi', etcetera."

She added:

"I'm really serious about doing well here. If that's what it takes, to have your game face on the whole time, that's what I'm trying to do. I don't want to come all this way to get only so far. I'm ready to go all the way now."

Venus Williams also weighed in on the matter, saying:

"I believe that Serena and I are very polite. because that's the way our parents taught us. I believe also that most of the time when Serena and I lose a match it's because we beat ourselves, not because the other player beats us. I've been beaten about four times, and there was nothing I could do [but] wave the white flag. But most of the other times I've beaten myself through unforced errors."

Martina Navratilova comes to Venus & Serena Williams' defense after John McEnroe's criticism

Venus Williams and Serena Williams pictured at the 2022 US Open | Image Source: Getty

While John McEnroe was vocal in his criticism of Venus and Serena Williams, another tennis legend, Martina Navratilova, took a different approach. She said she had no issues with the Williams sisters’ attitude.

Navratilova said (via The Guardian in 2000):

"Humility comes with age. You don't see too many humble 18-year-olds out there. I'd rather see too much confidence than not enough."

This wasn’t the first public clash between Serena and McEnroe. In 2001, he criticized her for expressing interest in playing a few men's tournaments. The seven-time Grand Slam champion countered by pointing out that successful female golfers never claimed they wanted to compete against a legend like Tiger Woods.

Another major controversy between them arose in 2017 when McEnroe said if Williams competed on the ATP Tour, she would be ranked somewhere around World No. 700.