CAROLINE Wozniacki has shot down a claim from John McEnroe’s that last year’s Wimbledon women’s singles winner Serena Williams would barely scrape the top 700 on the men’s tour.

And Denmark’s former world No 1 claims the only player in the men’s game that Williams should be compared against is Roger Federer.

McEnroe said in an interview with US radio station NPR he considered Williams to be the greatest female player of all time, but said that if put among the men, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion would be an also-ran. McEnroe has refused to back down albeit while saying he did not want to upset Williams, who had told him to “please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based”.

Williams, who is heavily pregnant, misses Wimbledon for the first time since 2006 this year. Wozniacki, who starts as the fifth seed defended her friend against McEnroe’s comments, saying: “I don’t really think you should be comparing like that.

“If you want to compare results, then I think the greatest tennis players of all times right now are Roger and Serena. And if you want to compare results, then compare the two greats. That’s only fair.”

Wozniacki enjoyed a positive week in Eastbourne, fine-tuning her Wimbledon preparations by reaching Saturday’s final in which Karolina Pliskova edged her out for the title.

She arrives at Wimbledon full of confidence in her game, and said: “It’s been great to get the feel because especially on the grass, if you don’t feel 100 per cent comfortable, it can be pretty tricky.

“That’s why I think I’m feeling good, and hopefully that will mean that I can play well at Wimbledon.”

Wozniacki must wait until tomorrow for her opening match against Hungary’s Timea Babos, while Petra Kvitova, Venus Williams and Simona Halep are in action today. After being attacked in her home in December and suffering severe injuries to her left hand, Kvitova did not know if she would play again, let alone so soon. This is her third tournament back, after a short-lived French Open campaign and a title-winning run at the Aegon Classic in Birmingham.

The two-time winner at SW19 said: “I have to say the first tournament I saw on the TV was Wimbledon, because of Martina Navratilova. In the Czech Republic it’s the best tournament in the world. There’s always a lot of history here. I like the rules, playing in white. I like renting the house with the team. It feels like a home and family.

“I really do feel very comfortable here. It’s quiet. It’s a relaxed place.”

Kvitova starts with a Centre Court outing against Sweden’s Johanna Larsson, a player she has beaten in all four of their previous meetings.

Many eyes will be on Venus Williams on Court One as the five-time champion takes on Belgian Elise Mertens, who was one year old when her opponent made her Wimbledon debut in 1997.

Romanian Halep tackles New Zealander Marina Erakovic, while Latvia’s surprise French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko plays Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.