John McEnroe appeared to be irked by a question from BBC commentator Nick Mullins after Serena Williams’ Wimbledon return ended in a first-round defeat.
Williams, the winner of 23 Grand Slams and seven Wimbledon titles, returned to SW19 after accepting two wildcards from the All England Club.
The 44-year-old mother-of-two showed glimpses of her brilliant former self on Centre Court but ultimately suffered a 3-6 7-6 3-6 defeat to Australia’s Maya Joint.
Joint, 20, had lost 11 games in a row ahead of Wimbledon but withstood a spirited Williams fightback to reach the second round at SW19 for the first time in her career.
Williams will hope for a better outcome when she swaps singles for doubles alongside her older sister Venus, 45.
The return of the best female player in history caused excitement and surprise in equal measure with pundits and fans wondering what the future holds for Williams.
That question was posed to McEnroe after her first-round exit at Wimbledon but he appeared to be frustrated by the line of questioning, perhaps believing it was a time to celebrate Williams rather than speculate over her future plans.
After Williams left Centre Court to a standing ovation, BBC commentator Mullins asked: ‘Do you think this is it? She will be 45 if she’s here again in a year’s time. What do you reckon John?’
McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon champion, responded: ‘You think I know? Don’t ask me a question that’s unanswerable.’
Mullins then directed his line of questioning to fellow American tennis great Tracy Austin while revealing he was getting ‘looks’ from outspoken pundit McEnroe.
The 60-year-old commentator said: ‘Well I don’t know… what do you think, Tracy? You’ve known her since she was very, very young.
‘Will there still be fight in her to come back at the age of 45 and give it another go?
‘We’re just speculating, John, don’t look at me like that. It’s what we do, it’s our job.’
McEnroe then interjected: ‘I wouldn’t have thought she would have come back in the first place but you go ahead, Tracy.’
Austin also appeared reluctant to delve into Williams’ future in the sport, however, and said it was time to ‘celebrate’ her shock return as well as a much-needed win for struggling Joint.
‘She’s 44 and she won seven majors before Maya Joint was even born. It was incredible for her to put herself out there again,’ said Austin.
‘I think we need to celebrate Maya Joint now and celebrate Serena Williams coming back at 44.’
Speaking beside the court before Williams’ Wimbledon comeback, McEnroe dismissed claims she was ‘taking a risk’ by agreeing to return.
‘I don’t think there’s much of a risk for Serena,’ he said. ‘We already think she’s the GOAT and one of the greatest athletes – male or female – in the history of any sport.
‘The fact she’s decided to do this – there’s a little bit of, why? You assume it’s a love of the game, maybe she misses the competition.
‘But then also, what is she expecting from this? She didn’t come here to lose first or second round, did she?’
The iconic Williams sisters will team up for Wimbledon doubles action on Thursday against Argentina’s Solana Sierra and Colombia’s Camila Osorio.
Williams opted out of media duties after her first-round singles defeat but provided a brief statement to the press, saying: ‘It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. I never expected to be here.
‘The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything.’
Meanwhile, Williams’ opponent Joint will face Alexandra Eala in the second round of Wimbledon after ending a 11-game losing streak.
‘I didn’t get much sleep last night, I was up until 2am just thinking about it,” Joint said in her on-court interview.
‘Walking out, I forgot the warm-up, my legs weren’t moving. I really don’t know what to say right now. I don’t know what just happened.
‘This court has had so many huge names that have played on it. She has so much aura, she is such a legend.
‘I have been dreaming about this since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy.’
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