McEnroe says Williams sisters have no respect

John McEnroe, the tennis player made famous for his on-court temper tantrums and infamous arguments with chair umpires over his lengthy playing career, took a shot at the Williams sisters on Sunday, saying that they don't have any respect for anyone in the game.

In a column published in Britain's Sunday Telegraph, McEnroe said that both Serena and Venus' behaviour is unheard of in sports and their ego has got the best of them.

McEnroe, who made a comment in the New Yorker that male college kids and members of the senior tour could defeat the sisters, repeated the sentiment in the article and said all of this talk about a repeat of "Battle of the Sexes" is ridiculous.

"Serena started it when she said a year ago that she should play a couple of men's tournaments - do women golfers say they could go out and beat Tiger Woods?" he asked. "Do women boxers think they could knock Lennox Lewis out?"

While the Williams sisters have no doubt revolutionized the sport, McEnroe said that someone should teach them the history of the game, similar to what Rod Laver did to him so he could pass some of that knowledge to the next generation.

But what irritated McEnroe the most was their attitude and disrespect for their competitors, especially Venus' comments after she beat Lindsey Davenport two weeks ago to take her first U.S. Open title.

"Venus didn't mention Lindsay after the Open final. Enough is enough. They are all as cold as ice. Would it kill them to say hello to people in the locker room? Is it that hard?"

Contrary to press reports, McEnroe refuted the claim that he challenged the sisters to a match, saying that real estate tycoon Donald Trump offered him $1 million to take on either Venus or Serena. Even though McEnroe laughed at the suggestion, Trump phoned the New York Times and said that he made "My dear friend John" an offer.

While he conceded that the best match of the U.S. Open was the thrilling semifinal between Venus Williams and Martina Hingis, McEnroe had nothing but praise for Marat Safin, a young up-and-coming Russian who captured his first Grand Slam title at this year's U.S. Open.

"He shows a lot of emotion on the court, a fantastic smile, he's a big, good-looking guy who plays in his first Grand Slam final and hardly misses a passing shot. Tennis has someone special and I hope it doesn't waste him."