Nurse!

Naomi Osaka announced she's pulling out of the semi-finals of an Australian Open warm-up tournament after she says her body went into "shock" from playing hard tennis ... after she took months off to focus on herself.

Now, the Australian Open -- already possibly without superstar Novak Djokovic -- could also be without one of women's tennis' biggest stars, Osaka.

Naomi, clearly bummed, announced she was withdrawing from the Melbourne Summer Set over an ab injury.

“I had a lot of fun playing here in Melbourne,” Osaka said in an official statement. “Unfortunately I have an abdominal injury which I need to rest and prepare for the Australian Open.”

Osaka expanded on the injury on social media, tweeting her body "got a shock from playing back to back intense matches after the break she took" ... forcing the former No.1 ranked women's tennis player to pull out at the last minute.

As we previously reported, Naomi returned to the tennis court in November ... after stepping away from the game to focus on herself following an emotional loss at the U.S. Open in September.

Osaka -- a four-time Grand Slam singles champion -- has been outspoken about her struggles with mental health in the past, infamously boycotting the media at the French Open.

And now, 24-year-old Osaka -- who was scheduled to play Veronika Kudermetova of Russia -- is sidelined once again ... as she tries to rehab her way back to competition.

It's a cold, cold world out there ... and it got even chillier for a handful of skiers in North Carolina, who got hosed down with freezing water while already in below-freezing temps.

Check out this insane video that was captured Friday on the Beech Mountain Resort, where officials say someone slammed into a water/air hydrant while coming down the slopes during snowmaking operations ... and apparently knocked the whole thing off.

As a result ... an enormous amount of H2O was shot straight up into the air for a good long while through the waterline down below, creating a geyser effect on the ski lift passenger directly above.

Yes, a fair amount of them got drenched passing through ... but, for some reason, it looks like these poor guests got stuck right in the middle of the water -- getting absolutely drenched. Unclear how long they stayed in this position, but it was at least 30 seconds or so based on the video above, which was shot by a bystander.

Considering the harsh conditions, you can imagine these people were worse for wear afterward. Two guests were reportedly taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries ... and some people are reported to have been blown off the chair lift altogether.

JoJo Siwa chatted with a 5-year-old cancer patient before surgery ... telling her everything would work out and she would kick cancer's butt.

As you see in the conversation between JoJo and Blakely Bergenfeld ... JoJo's a pro at putting her young fans at ease ... patiently answering the little girl's questions.

Blakely's parents, Jason and Kimberly Bergenfeld, tell TMZ ... the cancer diagnosis was sudden, after the little girl began experiencing headaches and fevers during a recent family ski trip.

We're told Blakely's parents took her to a pediatrician when they got back to L.A., and the doctor noticed her liver was swollen and rushed her to the ER at L.A. Children's Hospital.

Blakely's dad says his daughter underwent a series of tests, and that's when doctors discovered cancer in her kidney. She underwent surgery to remove a giant tumor on her kidney Friday.

We are told the surgery went even better than planned. She had to have her kidney removed because it was close to rupturing and would have been terminal if they had not treated it in time. The doctors also found tumors on her liver and lungs, which were removed. The doctors will know in the next few days exactly what stage and type of cancer she has, but she is stable and past the first step on her road to recovery.

It's been a whirlwind few days ... we're told Blakely had appeared completely healthy before she started feeling ill.

JoJo got involved after learning of Blakely's diagnosis through 'Dance Moms' star Kira Girard and her husband, who are close friends with the Bergenfelds.

Blakely is a huge JoJo fan and was supposed to meet her at the Nickelodeon awards last March before it was canceled due to COVID.

AEW star Rey Fenix suffered a horrific arm injury in the middle of his match Wednesday night ... and -- **HUGE WARNING** -- the video of the incident is extremely graphic.

Fenix was wrestling against Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus in a tag-team event with his partner, Penta Zero Miedo, at AEW Dynamite ... when the gruesome injury occurred.

Luchasaurus slammed Fenix through a table -- and as the two wrestlers hit the ground, Fenix's arm got caught in an awkward position and snapped backward.

Fenix was in an extreme amount of pain -- video from the ringside angle shows he was screaming loudly after hurting the arm.

The 31-year-old was unable to finish the match -- and he was reportedly rushed to the hospital.

No word on his condition today ... but we've reached out to AEW for comment.

Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus, meanwhile, went on to win the match as AEW personnel tended to Fenix. Jungle Boy (Luke Perry's son) tweeted afterward he hoped the star's injury wasn't too bad.

"Wishing a speedy recovery to @ReyFenixMx," the wrestler wrote. "One of the very best in the world, and one of the greatest people. It’s always an honor to share the ring with you. Much love."

Fenix is one of AEW's brightest stars -- he's known for his high-flying aerial moves, and he's a big-time crowd favorite.

Get well soon.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have formally released Antonio Brown ... and in announcing the news, the team called its former star a liar.

The Bucs said in a statement after officially cutting the wideout that he never indicated to their medical personnel that his ankle was too hurt to play in Sunday's game against the Jets.

Brown, of course, said the opposite in a lengthy statement Wednesday night ... claiming he did tell the team he was too injured -- and that head coach Bruce Arians still wanted him in the game nonetheless.

"While Antonio did receive treatment on his ankle and was listed on the injury report the week leading up to last Sunday's game, he was cleared to play by our medical team prior to the start of the game," the Bucs said Thursday.

"And at no point during the game did he indicate to our medical personnel that he could not play."

The Bucs went on to say that they've asked Antonio several times this week to be evaluated by "an outside orthopedic specialist" ... but say Antonio "has not complied."

"Maintaining the health and wellness of our players is of the utmost importance to our organization," the Bucs said.

As we previously reported, Brown melted down on the sidelines of the Bucs' game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, stripping off his pads and shirt before running into the locker room.

After the blowup, Arians suggested that Brown had quit on the team ... telling Jay Glazer that he tried to get the wideout to go into the game multiple times, but AB refused and then left.

Brown, though, said Wednesday that's not the way things went down ... writing in a statement, "I took a seat on the sideline and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted, 'What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?' I told him, 'It's my ankle.' But he knew that."

"He didn't call for medical attention," Brown added. "Instead, he shouted at me, 'YOU'RE DONE!' while he ran his finger across his throat. Coach was telling me that if I didn't play hurt, then I was done with the Bucs."

Arians previously said this week that Brown did not indicate to him at the time that he was hurt.

"I didn't quit," Brown insisted in his statement. "I was cut. I didn't walk away from my brothers. I was thrown out."

Brown says on Monday he saw a specialist, who told him that his ankle injury was so bad, it'll require season-ending surgery.

"What they did know until now is that on Monday morning I had an urgent MRI on my ankle," Brown said. "It shows broken fragments stuck in my ankle, the ligament torn from the bone, and cartilage loss, which are beyond painful. You can see the bone bulging from the outside."

Brown is now a free agent ... and he said Wednesday night he has no plans to retire.

"Once my surgery is complete, I'll be back to 100% and looking forward to next season. Business gonna be BOOMIN!"

Scary moment for Raheem Mostert -- the NFL running back's 3-year-old son was rushed to the hospital after suffering a high fever and other severe COVID-19 symptoms this week ... but thankfully, he's recovering back home.

The 49ers star's wife, Devon, shared the terrifying news on Wednesday ... posting a photo of their son, Gunnar, in an ambulance.

"If you think COVID is a joke, this is our sweet G man in an ambulance today after I called 911 because he was lethargic, skin was gray, lips were purple, and had a 103.5 temperature," Devon said.

"I'm crying even typing this ... this is all SO SCARY."

The good news is Gunnar is back home with his family ... but Mostert -- who is currently on the Niners' injured reserved list -- made it clear people should not be taking this virus lightly.

"I could say a lot, but I'm going to keep this short because my family gets 100% of my time right now," the 29-year-old said.

"Take COVID seriously! It's not a joke!!"

Raheem and Devon got married in 2017 and have 2 kids -- Gunnar and 1-year old Neeko. The couple also just announced they're expecting a third baby on the way last week.

Antonio Brown is finally addressing the bizarre incident that ended his Bucs career ... claiming the team gave him a "powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller" and forced him to play despite knowing he had a serious ankle injury -- all leading to the moment he says head coach Bruce Arians told him "you're done!"

That's when 33-year-old AB says he removed his jersey and pads ... and walked off the Met Life football field.

"Because of my commitment to the game, I relented to pressure directly from my coach to play injured. Despite the pain, I suited up, the staff injected me with what I now know was a powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA has warned against using, and I gave it my all for the team," Brown said in a statement released by his attorney.

The 7x Pro Bowler continued, saying he balled until the pain got to a point where he could no longer endure it.

"I played until it was clear that I could not use my ankle to safely perform my playing responsibilities. On top of that, the pain was extreme. I took a seat on the sideline and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted, 'What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?' I told him, 'It's my ankle.' But he knew that."

Unfortunately for AB, he says Arians didn't care, and demanded he go back in the game.

Brown says he responded ... '"Coach, I can't.' He didn't call for medical attention. Instead, he shouted at me, "YOU'RE DONE!" while he ran his finger across his throat. Coach was telling me that if I didn't play hurt, then I was done with the Bucs."

Bottom line, Brown says ... "I didn't quit. I was cut. I didn't walk away from my brothers. I was thrown out."

As for the Bucs, Arians claimed he never discussed an ankle injury with Antonio.

Clearly, AB and the team have two different views as to what transpired on the field ... in what was one of the strangest and surreal moments in NFL history.

If you missed the incident ... the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers were trailing the lowly NY Jets in New Jersey Sunday afternoon.

Brown -- who'd caught 3 balls for 26 yards -- was seen engaged in a very animated conversation on the sideline with star WR Mike Evans.

Then, AB, standing only feet from his teammates, removed his jersey, pads, and t-shirt until he was bare-chested. Brown threw his shirt into the stands ... and ultimately walked through the tunnel into the locker room.

Antonio was seen calling an Uber from the front of the stadium in East Rutherford, NJ ... before taking a car to NYC.

While in Manhattan, Brown says he saw several top doctors ... and was diagnosed with a significant ankle injury.

“What they did know until now is that on Monday morning I had an urgent MRI on my ankle. It shows broken fragments stuck in my ankle, the ligament torn from the bone, and cartilage loss, which are beyond painful. You can see the bone bulging from the outside.”

Antonio says the damage can be fixed ... but will require surgery, which he intends to have done.

As for his football future ... #81 says he plans to play again next year.

“Once my surgery is complete, I’ll be back to 100% and looking forward to next season. Business gonna be BOOMIN!"

Question is ... will there be any takers?

Jason Derulo has a zero-tolerance policy for being mistaken for another R&B superstar -- so much so, he attacked 2 guys at a Las Vegas hotel for calling him ... Usher.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ... cops were called to the ARIA hotel during the early hours of Tuesday morning after Derulo threw fists with the men.

Eyewitnesses tell us Derulo and one of the men were passing each other on an escalator when the guy seemed to troll Derulo by yelling, "Hey, Usher! F*** you, bitch!!!" That's when Derulo got pissed and punched him right in the face, sending the dude to the floor.

It didn't end there ... Jason allegedly also slapped the second guy moments later, and security had to step in to break up the scrum. You can see part of the fight in the video ... even though Jason was walking with a large dude, perhaps his bodyguard ... he still charged directly at the guys after the Usher line.

At the time, the 2 victims did not want to press charges, but there's always the possibility of a lawsuit. Either way, they have up to one year to change their minds and move forward with charges. Jason did get a trespassing notice from ARIA, and was removed from the property.

Cody Simpson's sister is beyond lucky to be alive after breaking her neck while diving into a pool, and as if that wasn't bad enough ... she tested positive for covid-19.

Alli Simpson was immediately taken to an Australian hospital in an ambulance on New Year's Eve... after diving head-first into a shallow swimming pool, and hitting her head on the floor. She ended up having 2 severe fractures in her neck.

The 23-year old opened up about the scary event ... posting photos from the ambulance and Gold Coast University Hospital -- outside Brisbane. She says, "I am extremely lucky to be alive and/or not quadriplegic as it JUST missed my spinal chord..⁣"

Though she didn't have to get any immediate surgery, she will have to live in a neck brace for 4 straight months ... all day, every day.

She admitted this was not the best start to the year for her, but she was mainly optimistic and shared her gratitude... "to say the least - I have a new lease on life & will be forever grateful that it was not worse!!⁣"

She thanked her family, friends and the medical staff for their support ... and left some encouraging words for us all going into 2022 ... "hoping the start to your year has been a whole lot better than mine!! stay safe this year fam & DON’T DIVE INTO ANYTHING WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW IT’S DEPTH!!! 🤍🤍🤍 "

As we reported, police in Naples, Florida shot and killed a Malayan tiger named Eko Wednesday night, after a custodian allegedly went into an unauthorized area and, according to cops, either tried petting or feeding the animal. Eko clamped onto the guy's hand, and you hear him wailing in pain as cops approached.

This video is hard to watch, but it shows the consequences when someone goes rogue and gets way too close to a wild animal.

Police are unable to free the custodian, and then they shoot the tiger in the head at point-blank range, killing him.

It's a terrible tragedy that has been repeated many times before ... where someone put himself/herself and the animal in danger by getting way too close.

So, you don't want to get the COVID vaccine because you don't trust the science ... well, here's an incentive -- you get the shot, you get to keep your hair.

Singer Ava Max says she's suffered hair loss after contracting COVID. She posted a vid Wednesday night, saying, "Baby hairs Comin THRU. "Also so so happy my hair is growing back. I lost a lot of hair when I had COVID last year!! :( "

Turns out ... the "My Head & My Heart" singer isn't making this up. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, hair loss is a consequence of the virus.

To be specific, the Academy says high fever from various illnesses, including COVID, can result in "noticeable hair loss."

It's actually not technically hair loss -- it's hair shedding. It typically begins 2 to 3 months after the fever subsides. Clumps of hair can come out after showering or brushing, and it can last for as long as 9 months before it stops.

A tiger was shot and killed Wednesday at the Naples Zoo after a zoo cleaner violated the rules by entering an area near the tiger he should never have been.

The man appeared to either be petting or feeding the tiger ... sticking his hand through the fence. The tiger grabbed the man's arm and attempted to pull him into the enclosure.

According to the Collier County Sheriff's Dept., deputies tried kicking the enclosure in an effort to get the tiger to release the man's arm ... but it didn't work.

A deputy then shot and killed the animal ... a Malayan tiger named Eko.

The man was a member of a cleaning crew at the zoo -- the crew was a third party, not an employee of the zoo -- and he was supposed to be cleaning restrooms and the gift shop, but decided to pet or feed the tiger instead.

Caitlyn Jenner's days as an Olympic star have caught up to her in a painful way -- in the form of knee replacement surgery.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the decathlon gold medalist went under the knife at Cedars-Sinai in L.A. December 14. We're told the surgery lasted 3 hours and so far, so good.

The before-and-after X-Rays pretty much tell the story.

Caitlyn's up and about again ... walking gingerly around her Malibu compound, where she's staying for at least another week before venturing out.

Her goal right at the start of 2022 ... to walk normally, drive and get back to all the stuff she likes ... including golf. She loves skiing -- something that was off the table before surgery -- but her goal is to hit the slopes next winter.

Famous boxing announcer David Diamante was reportedly critically injured in a serious motorcycle accident this week ... but thankfully, he's alert and in good spirits.

Diamante -- who's worked for ESPN, DAZN, Showtime, HBO, the Brooklyn Nets and more -- was riding on a street beneath the Brooklyn Queens Expressway when the accident took place, according to Boxing Scene.

The 50-year-old was rushed to a local hospital, where he was treated for multiple broken ribs and fractures to his spine, as well as "serious" damage to his knee, the outlet reports.

Diamante underwent a 5-hour procedure on Tuesday ... where screws, rods, and cadaver parts were placed in his spine.

But, the good news?? Diamante is already talking about kickstarting his recovery and getting back on his feet.

"It's going to be a tough road," he told the outlet. "It's a bad injury and getting better will take some time. This will be a struggle. I'll have to learn to walk again, and right now there's a risk of complications."

"But, I have a positive attitude and will be back as soon as possible."

Michael Buffer also says he spoke with Diamante ... saying his fellow announcer is "very optimistic."

"David’s a fighter and has met big challenges in his life-this will be another one!"

Diamante is a legend in combat sports ... and is known for his trademark phrase, "The fight is on." He most recently worked the Joseph Parker vs. Derek Chisora fight on Dec. 18.

Teddy Bridgewater was forced to spend Sunday night in a hospital ... after he terrifyingly slammed his head on the grass during the Broncos' game against the Bengals.

The horrifying scene all went down on Sunday in the third quarter of the game at Empower Field in Denver ... when Bridgewater dove for a first down but landed awkwardly on his head and neck.

Video of the play is scary ... you can see in the clip, Teddy appeared to be knocked unconscious as soon as his face hit the turf.

Trainers and staffers raced out to tend to the star quarterback ... removing his facemask and strapping him to a backboard, before taking him off the field and to a hospital on a stretcher.

Denver head coach Vic Fangio announced after the game Bridgewater would be kept at a medical facility for evaluation through at least Monday ... though he did say he expected the signal-caller to somehow be okay.

"Everything has checked out good up to this point," Fangio told reporters after Denver went on to lose, 15-10. "They're just going to keep him overnight for observations. But they think he'll -- should be and will be fine. Eventually."

Bridgewater is no stranger to horrible injuries -- you'll recall, he nearly lost his leg after he gruesomely tore his ACL in a play during Minnesota Vikings practice in 2016.

He's since come back from that injury strongly ... and had been having a solid year for Denver this season, recording 3,052 passing yards and 18 passing TDs.

Get well soon, Teddy.

Jake Paul is only 24, but he's suffering from memory loss and slurred speech, and it's largely because of boxing -- and it could get even worse with tonight's fight.

Jake appeared on "In Depth With Graham Besinger," and talked about something boxers rarely discuss when they're still in the game -- how boxing messes up their head.

Jake told Graham, "I notice it in conversations with like, with my girlfriend or friends, like, not remembering something that I should be able to remember that happened a couple days ago."

He went on ... "Sometimes in my speech, where like every hundredth or two hundredth word, I'll mess up or, like, slur, which I didn't do that before."

Jake says his problems actually started with football, but are clearly worsened by boxing. He doesn't even remember how many concussions he's suffered -- somewhere between 20 and 30.

Again, something boxers don't say ... Jake says he's scared about the long-term effects, although he thinks certain psychedelic drugs could help abate the problems.

It's pretty shocking he's saying all this when he's about to square off with former UFC Champ Tyron Woodley Saturday night. He beat Tyron by split decision in the past and the rematch promises to be fierce.

Jake said his doctor was blunt -- stay away from the ring, but that's not gonna happen.