Cape Town - American tennis legend John McEnroe has refused to apologise for his comments about Serena Williams - and believes men should play against women to settle the argument.
McEnroe caused a stir earlier in the week when he said Williams would only rank about 700th on the men's tennis circuit.
McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam singles winner, called Williams "best female player ever - no question," in comments to National Public Radio aired on Sunday.
But asked why she should not be considered the best of all time, McEnroe added: "If she had to just play the circuit - the men's circuit - that would be an entirely different story."
McEnroe, speaking on a tour to promote his new book "But Seriously," said he would place Williams "like 700 in the world" on the ATP Tour.
On Tuesday's CBS This Morning show, McEnroe was asked if he would like to apologise but was emphatic in his response: "No. To solve the problem, why don’t you combine the men and women to play together. I’m sure the men would be all for this. And then we don’t have to guess...”