Q. Why is Serena dominating more now at age 33 than when she was, say, 26? 

JOHN McENROE:  …to me she's the greatest female player that ever played.  She's better in every way now.  She's more prepared now.  She used to sort of maybe not get as prepared because she figured she was so much better that she didn't have to be on her toes, be mentally focused, she could sort of ride in and out of it, which she's even shown when she's feeling some pressure and not playing her best, she still figures out a way to win. 

Athletically, you have to put her, Venus and Steffi Graf as the greatest athletes that ever played tennis.  So she's got a big edge there.  Then mentally she's always been exceptionally strong.  The other part on the women's side is that as you get older, the advantage of playing two-out-of-three, that takes far less of a physical toll on you than best-of-five in the men's.  So that allows her to sort of be able to maintain this dominance.  Rivalries, Henin retired, stopped playing.  Clijsters stopped.  Venus has been ill.  Azarenka was out a long time.  Capriati had shoulder surgery.  Some of those great, great players of the game aren't around anymore, so she's at a time where there seems to be a bit of a lull as far as challengers right now.  There's not enough challengers to really push her to the point where I would think – I mean, to me, if she brings her A game, she's going to win this for sure. 

PATRICK McENROE:  I would say, first of all, that Serena's a far more complete player now than she was at 26.  Obviously she was a great player then because of all the things that John mentioned, how tough she is, how physically great she is, what a competitor she is.  But I think now she's become a better all-around tennis player.  She plays the percentages better.  As John said, she's more prepared.  And she doesn't beat herself.  There were times when she could just start missing and literally beat herself.  Even last year she did that a little bit in a couple of big tournaments before she won the Open.  That still happened. 

I totally agree with John, as well.  I mean, no other great players out there in women's tennis right now.  Venus has obviously been a great player, but she's well past her prime.  If you look at everybody else in the field, there's not one guaranteed Hall of Fame player right now (NOTE:  He later amended, adding Sharapova.).  There's just not one.  So you combine the fact that Serena's gotten even better than she was and more professional.  For Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Murray to win majors, they've got to beat two other all-time greats to win these tournaments.  They're obviously doing it at a pretty good clip as well.  She's got nobody else that's even in the conversation with her at this point. 

Q. At Serena's age, almost 34, then you have Federer who is into his 30s, what does this mean to tennis to have these players at this level playing at this age? 

PATRICK McENROE:  I think it's amazing, it's great for tennis.  Thank goodness for the people that run professional tennis that they still have Federer, Serena, people like this to continue to promote and drive ticket sales, drive sponsorship.  Obviously we all know the reasons why these players are playing longer:  they've got more people around them, they've got more resources, they have more trainers, et cetera, they take care of themselves better.  How awesome is it to watch Federer at 34, I mean, play the kind of tennis he played in Cincinnati?  Back when my brother was playing, obviously he played into his mid 30s, not quite at the level he was in his 20s, with all due respect Johnny Mac, but even guys like Edberg and Becker, they basically retired around 30 or so. 

I think it's great for tennis that they get to keep these guys around.  Obviously considering you've got a couple of the all-time greats in men's tennis playing at the same time, it's certainly making it tougher for the Dimitrovs of the world to make through, forget about winning a major, but getting to the finals of a major. 

 Q. How much longer do you think they can last? 

JOHN McENROE:  Obviously you have to think about Andre.  He got to the finals of the Open at 35.  You're talking about a situation where Roger absolutely loves to play.  That's the key, he loves to be out there.  He does his homework, he's training.  You get an appreciation maybe as you get older.   That's why it's good.  There's a time maybe you're on the tour for a while, you get fatigued mentally, and disillusioned in certain ways.  Because of the technology that Patrick referred to, the knowledge they have now about training and recovery, what to eat, the right time to get a massage.  Everything is analyzed to the Nth degree.  That's allowed players to peak at a later age and appreciate the game more, allow them the time to sort of realize how lucky they are to be in this position.  That's helped the sport in that way.  Hopefully that will continue down the road. 

But you have to appreciate every moment.  You don't know.  34, it's not like in baseball where you're a pitcher and you're pitching once every five days or you're part of a team.  Even if you are an everyday player, they can give you more time off.  You're out there by yourself.  What Roger's doing is amazing.  But you can't expect him to go on that much longer, or Serena, even though she's got to play two-out-of-three.  So we've got to appreciate every moment.  

:  …to me she's the greatest female player that ever played.  She's better in every way now.  She's more prepared now.  She used to sort of maybe not get as prepared because she figured she was so much better that she didn't have to be on her toes, be mentally focused, she could sort of ride in and out of it, which she's even shown when she's feeling some pressure and not playing her best, she still figures out a way to win. 

Athletically, you have to put her, Venus and Steffi Graf as the greatest athletes that ever played tennis.  So she's got a big edge there.  Then mentally she's always been exceptionally strong.  The other part on the women's side is that as you get older, the advantage of playing two-out-of-three, that takes far less of a physical toll on you than best-of-five in the men's.  So that allows her to sort of be able to maintain this dominance.  Rivalries, Henin retired, stopped playing.  Clijsters stopped.  Venus has been ill.  Azarenka was out a long time.  Capriati had shoulder surgery.  Some of those great, great players of the game aren't around anymore, so she's at a time where there seems to be a bit of a lull as far as challengers right now.  There's not enough challengers to really push her to the point where I would think – I mean, to me, if she brings her A game, she's going to win this for sure. 

PATRICK McENROE:  I would say, first of all, that Serena's a far more complete player now than she was at 26.  Obviously she was a great player then because of all the things that John mentioned, how tough she is, how physically great she is, what a competitor she is.  But I think now she's become a better all-around tennis player.  She plays the percentages better.  As John said, she's more prepared.  And she doesn't beat herself.  There were times when she could just start missing and literally beat herself.  Even last year she did that a little bit in a couple of big tournaments before she won the Open.  That still happened. 

I totally agree with John, as well.  I mean, no other great players out there in women's tennis right now.  Venus has obviously been a great player, but she's well past her prime.  If you look at everybody else in the field, there's not one guaranteed Hall of Fame player right now (NOTE:  He later amended, including Sharapova.).  There's just not one.  So you combine the fact that Serena's gotten even better than she was and more professional.  For Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Murray to win majors, they've got to beat two other all-time greats to win these tournaments.  They're obviously doing it at a pretty good clip as well.  She's got nobody else that's even in the conversation with her at this point. 

Q. At Serena's age, almost 34, then you have Federer who is into his 30s, what does this mean to tennis to have these players at this level playing at this age? 

PATRICK McENROE:  I think it's amazing, it's great for tennis.  Thank goodness for the people that run professional tennis that they still have Federer, Serena, people like this to continue to promote and drive ticket sales, drive sponsorship.  Obviously we all know the reasons why these players are playing longer:  they've got more people around them, they've got more resources, they have more trainers, et cetera, they take care of themselves better.  How awesome is it to watch Federer at 34, I mean, play the kind of tennis he played in Cincinnati?  Back when my brother was playing, obviously he played into his mid 30s, not quite at the level he was in his 20s, with all due respect Johnny Mac, but even guys like Edberg and Becker, they basically retired around 30 or so. 

I think it's great for tennis that they get to keep these guys around.  Obviously considering you've got a couple of the all-time greats in men's tennis playing at the same time, it's certainly making it tougher for the Dimitrovs of the world to make through, forget about winning a major, but getting to the finals of a major. 

 Q. How much longer do you think they can last? 

JOHN McENROE:  Obviously you have to think about Andre.  He got to the finals of the Open at 35.  You're talking about a situation where Roger absolutely loves to play.  That's the key, he loves to be out there.  He does his homework, he's training.  You get an appreciation maybe as you get older.   That's why it's good.  There's a time maybe you're on the tour for a while, you get fatigued mentally, and disillusioned in certain ways.  Because of the technology that Patrick referred to, the knowledge they have now about training and recovery, what to eat, the right time to get a massage.  Everything is analyzed to the Nth degree.  That's allowed players to peak at a later age and appreciate the game more, allow them the time to sort of realize how lucky they are to be in this position.  That's helped the sport in that way.  Hopefully that will continue down the road. 

But you have to appreciate every moment.  You don't know.  34, it's not like in baseball where you're a pitcher and you're pitching once every five days or you're part of a team.  Even if you are an everyday player, they can give you more time off.  You're out there by yourself.  What Roger's doing is amazing.  But you can't expect him to go on that much longer, or Serena, even though she's got to play two-out-of-three.  So we've got to appreciate every moment.