Q.  Should we be making such a big deal about a Grand Slam in a single calendar year for Serena?  Is it any more significant than being the holder of all four championships at the same time, which she is now? 

JOHN McENROE:  Let me answer first.  As far as a calendar year Grand Slam, I would put it as even more an incredible achievement than something, as you mentioned, she's holding all four right now, which is obviously amazing, too.  If you keep in perspective how suddenly it happens, how people ramp up the pressure as it gets closer, I think you could understand there would be a difference between winning it all in the same year because people don't bring it up in quite the same fashion, although there was certainly pressure for her at Wimbledon. 

PATRICK McENROE:  I'll quickly follow up.  I do think the biggest difference for the calendar slam is the pressure.  I don't think you can underestimate that, the pressure that the player is under.  Yes, there's no doubt winning four in a row almost never happens.  It's arguably as impressive but not quite because of the pressure factor of what's building now towards the US Open.  There's no doubt that Serena's feeling that.  And there's also no doubt in my mind that she can certainly handle it.  I think that's why you're hearing her say she can't wait till the US Open is over so she can take a step back and take a real breather from the spotlight. 

Q. Serena is unique that she can completely lose her mind, break things, yell and scream, then come back and play even better.  How does she do that? 

JOHN McENROE:  I was going to say, most people go down.  I did myself towards the end of my career. 

I think it's pretty amazing that she's able to do that.  That's very difficult to do.  From my own experience, I had success.  Connors did that.  There's a handful of people that have benefited.  Obviously it's a high wire act.  She's done a pretty outstanding job.  She's used that to motivate herself, scream at herself, curse at herself.  It's actually helped her, like at the French Open for example.  A perfect example.  In the final, she was absolutely screaming, then she ended up scaring the heck out of her opponent. 

Q. Do you think the atmosphere in New York, being an American going for the record, will have any sort of intensity or electricity? 

JOHN McENROE:  As far as Serena, we're all hoping that that would add to the excitement and add to what she's trying to accomplish.  It's going to be hopefully awesome.  I mean, this doesn't happen every year.  It last happened with Steffi in '88.  In the men it hasn't happened since Rod the Rocket did it in '69.  That goes without saying that this could be a tremendous shot in the arm hopefully for tennis. 

PATRICK McENROE:  I think New York is the best place she could be going for the slam.  There's no way that she's not going to be able to be pumped up.  There's no doubt that the crowd is going to be totally into it.  The New York crowd, they want it to be more than just a tennis match, they want it to be about the entertainment as well.  Obviously that's this and then some tenfold.  I think it's actually a perfect place for her to go for the fourth one in the same year because of that. 

Q. You made it pretty clear that if Serena is on her A game, you feel there's no one that can touch her.  Given the surface, where their games are right now, which one player would you feel is best positioned to challenge her at the Open?

JOHN McENROE:  Patrick has been making some brilliant comments all afternoon.  The one thing you forget, there is one Hall of Fame player out there.  Sharapova will be in the Hall of Fame.  She's an unbelievable competitor.  But she's not in the same league athletically.  I think that's what Patrick was basically referring to.  There's no question that she's an unbelievable, great ball-striker.  She's a great competitor.  If I had to pick one person, I'd have to go with Azarenka.  Hard courts is her best surface.  Her two majors are on hard courts.  I was shocked when I saw she lost to I think Errani in Cincy.  I think it was Cincy or Toronto.  Is she playing up there? 

Q. No. 

PATRICK McENROE:  First of all, John, you're right.  I should have remembered Sharapova.  So I appreciate you reminding me.  Obviously her head-to-head against Serena is not very good, so maybe that's why I forgot.  But both Sharapova and Azarenka are coming in with some injury issues, which to me is a huge concern for both of them.  And I agree that if everybody were 100% healthy, I'd probably give Azarenka the best shot.  But from a tennis standpoint at the moment, I would probably put Halep up there, even though after she lost to Serena in Cincinnati, I was a little bit surprised when she said in the trophy presentation that she hopes Serena wins the Grand Slam.  That's why I sent out the tweet that I did, which got all sorts of people going crazy thinking I was saying something negative about Serena, which is the last thing I was doing.  It seems some of these women players, and obviously she should, I mean, Serena is at such a high level, it's almost like they don't really want to beat her.  From a tennis standpoint, I think Halep has the most game and ability.  Obviously she's small, but she sort of reminds you of a mini Justine Henin.  I don't think Justine Henin would ever have said, Serena, I hope you win the next Grand Slam.  I don't think she would have said that. Q. The word 'pressure' has come up several times with regards to Serena.  Her habit of getting behind, what we saw in Toronto when she lost her temper, lost in the semis, would you attribute those little cracks recently to the pressure of the moment?  As talented and dominant as she is, is there a danger that could sidetrack her at the Open if she's not careful?

JOHN McENROE:  Well, of course.  Look at this achievement.  We've talked about that throughout the hour.  Obviously, I mean, she'll be ready for this to be over with.  Let's just say that.  It's a lot to be put on your shoulders.  It's a tremendous, tremendous accomplishment already what she's done.  She's distanced herself from the other players.  It's hard to argue that she's not the best ever.  Certainly I guess some people could throw in one or two people.  But to me she's the best ever, and has been that way for a while.  She solidified that. 

There is a lot more riding on it than there should be perhaps considering what she's done in her career.  She's a human being.  I saw her yesterday at a Nike event.  She's excited but she's ready for this to be over with, too, because she's been walking around with this ever since she won the French again, then having to go to Wimbledon, now this.  It's been months and months and months. 

She's won a lot of matches where she's been coming from behind, especially at the French.  I got to hand it to her.  She's done at the end of the day an incredible job, being able to get that W at the end.  Being this close to it has definitely made this event more exciting for the fans.  I'm into it and I'm sure there's a lot of people that are going to look forward to seeing if she can pull this off. 

PATRICK McENROE:  My one follow up to all that is the only thing I can really compare this to in sports, it's sort of like when people start chasing the Joe DiMaggio hitting streak.  I think it's a bit magnified.  As John said, this has been happening now for a few months for her.  Obviously the hitting streak is just as difficult if not maybe even harder.  But that's sort of the pressure I think she's feeling.  Clearly there are players that can compete with her.  It's not like she's winning 6-2, 6-2 every match.  You tie that into it, and as John said, there is the benefit of two-out-of-three, but there's also a little bit more pressure in two-out-of-three.  If you do lose a set, you get down, the match could be over.  I think there's that piece of it, as well.  An upset is slightly more likely in a two-out-of-three than a best-of-five set match.