Party All The Time

Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic believes he was unfairly trashed in the media for the COVID outbreak at his recent tennis tournament ... comparing criticism to a "witch hunt."

Of course, Djokovic took heavy fire for throwing tennis events in Croatia and Serbia with little to no social distancing or any significant protocols to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

In fact, there were photos and videos of Novak playing basketball with other athletes without masks during the tournament -- and partying at a tightly packed nightclub without any PPE.

Novak -- along with his wife and several other tournament participants -- later tested positive for COVID. Shocker, right?

Now, the 33-year-old is speaking out about the media coverage of his doomed event ... and he's really upset!

"I can only see criticism lately and much of it is malicious," Djokovic told the Serbian newspaper, Sportski Zurnal.

"It’s obviously more than just criticism -- it’s like an agenda and a witch-hunt are on. Someone has to take the fall, a big name."

Yeah, BECAUSE IT WAS YOUR TOURNAMENT!! YOU MADE THE DECISIONS! WHAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT THIS?!

Anyway, we move on ...

Novak was also asked if he'll play in the upcoming U.S. Open.

"I still haven’t decided whether I will play in the US Open -- the upsurge in registered Covid-19 cases in the United States and New York in particular are not playing into the event’s hands."

SO, NOW YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT COVID?!!

Again, pressing forward ... Novak says he's "learned his lesson" and now (sort of) understands he made mistakes.

"My intention was pure, I was whole-heartedly committed to organizing a humanitarian event to help players and tennis federations in the [Balkan] region. We complied with all the laws and regulations. But we’ve learned our lessons and some things could have probably been done in a different way."

Saw this one coming from a mile away ... Lamar Jackson's 3rd annual "Funday with LJ event" -- a 2-day beach party in Florida -- has been canceled thanks to COVID.

The Baltimore Ravens QB had been promoting the July 11 and 12 event this week -- featuring flag football games, go-karts, an obstacle course, a rock climbing walls and more at McNair Park in Pompano Beach. Sounds like fun!!

Jackson had said masks would be mandatory -- and had really hoped the event would happen ... but in the end, it was just too risky.

An event spokesperson told The Baltimore Sun city officials were going to limit the number of attendees due to the pandemic -- despite a large number of people already registering for the event.

According to the City of Pompano Beach website, social gatherings are currently limited to groups of 10.

So, instead of turning people away, LJ decided to just call the whole thing off and will try to have another event next year instead.

Probably a good move.

Florida is getting his HARD by COVID right now -- recently setting a new single-day record of 11,458 cases ... with more than 7,300 cases reported on Tuesday alone.

DaBaby's set to fire up a nightclub crowd on the Fourth of July, but he and his team insist safety precautions are in place.

The rapper's performing at the 4th of July Bash at Cosmopolitan Premier Lounge in Decatur, GA Saturday night, but due to coronavirus concerns ... it won't be the usual packed house.

MyDjDre, the coordinator of the event, tells TMZ ... the venue is only allowing 40 percent of the max capacity of 4,000 into the club.

We're told they'll be enforcing a No mask, No entry rule for attendees, and faces must be covered the whole time. There will also be temperature checks and health screening questions at the door.

As for DaBaby ... he's only going to be allowed 3 people on stage with him -- not a full entourage -- and they'll all enter the stage from a parking lot entrance to avoid contact with the crowd.

We're told, most of the tables and standing area at the CPL are sectioned off, as well ... so people can socially distance without little problem.

The following night, July 5, the club welcomes Moneybagg Yo and Blac Youngsta to keep the holiday weekend going ... and we're told the same guidelines will be in place.

Hopefully, it goers better than the Chase Rice concert last weekend in Tennessee. As you'll recall ... the country singer's show was also set at 40 percent capacity, but coronavirus safety was thrown out the window once guests got inside as they rushed the stage.

BTW -- the 3 rappers set to perform this weekend will be doing it for a good cause. The promoter, Jonathan Hart, tells us at least 20 percent of the concert proceeds will go to the Athlete Youth Success Institute, an Atlanta non-profit that helps underprivileged kids learn how to play tennis. Hart is also the President of the AYSI

Vanilla Ice is offering fans a warning -- come see my concert at your own risk, cuz it could cost you your life, but the local health department's going even further ... saying stay away from his show.

The "Ice Ice Baby" rapper is set to perform Friday night at Emerald Point Bar & Grill in the popular tourist spot of Lake Travis ... 30 minutes outside of downtown Austin. The concert's being dubbed The Independence Day Throwback Beach Party at a multi-tier outdoor venue that can host as many as 5,000 fans -- but due to social distancing, they're only selling 2,500 tickets.

Fans wanting to buy tix are hit with a warning: “Important notice re COVID-19: Please note any interaction with the general public poses an elevated risk of being exposed to COVID-19 and we cannot guarantee that you will not be exposed while in attendance at the event. The event organizer is solely responsible for the health and safety of this event. We encourage you to follow the organizer’s safety policies, as well as local laws and restrictions.”

That warning isn't cutting it with the Travis County Health Dept. ... whose spokesperson, Jen Samp, tells TMZ ... "This is not wise regardless of who is performing at any gathering right now. The best way to be nostalgic is by protecting your parents and grandparents and staying home."

The "nostalgic line" is a clear shot at Ice's IG post promoting the concert.

The rapper posted this video over the weekend showing packed concertgoers. He captioned the video, "I can’t wait to get back to this. The 90s were the best. We didn’t have coronavirus, or cell phones, or computers. We had 5.0‘s, blockbuster, Beavis and Butthead, Wayne’s world, Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. And Mortal Kombat is still better than fortnight but we got out of the house, We danced, we invented house parties in the 90s. The last of the great decades."

Samp isn't getting sucked in by all that '90s talk. She's flat-out saying, "Don't go to this concert. If you do go to the concert or anywhere else publicly, wear a mask and socially distance, have sanitizer in your pocket and wash your hands every time you arrive at a new place."

She added the fact people will be drinking booze, means they'll be less aware of their actions ... like touching their faces and forgetting to wash hands.

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott's recently ordered all bars closed and capped restaurant capacity to 50 percent. The order comes on the heels of the state hitting a new record of cases ... with 8,076 reported Wednesday. Hospitalizations have also reached dangerous levels.

Emerald Point Bar & Grill -- which, BTW, is hosting other music acts the entire weekend -- remains open because technically it's considered a restaurant.

Novak Djokovic is under fire for partying topless just days before his tennis tourney had a small coronavirus outbreak ... with one of Joker's peers calling the whole thing a "poor example."

Here's the deal ... the world's #1 ranked tennis player hosted a tournament in Croatia over the weekend but it was canceled before the final match because two of the tournament's stars contracted COVID-19.

As it turns out, one of the two guys who tested positive -- Grigor Dimitrov -- had been partying with Djokovic and several other famous tennis players at a Croatian hot spot just days before.

Check out video of the dudes posted to social media last week ... the men were dancing shirtless and raging their faces off -- with no masks or social distancing in sight.

But, when Dimitrov and another competitor, Borna Coric, tested positive ... the criticism for their big night out started rolling in.

Tennis stars all over bashed Djokovic for even trying to hold the tournament during a pandemic ... with Dan Evans going off over the clubbing in particular.

"Put it this way, I don’t think you should be having a players’ party and then dancing all over each other," Evans said. "He should feel some responsibility in his event and how it’s transpired."

Nick Kyrgios also chimed in on the event on Twitter on Monday, calling it a "boneheaded decision" to go forward with the tournament in the first place.

For his part, Djokovic has yet to release a statement on the backlash ... and is reportedly awaiting results of his own coronavirus test.

Djokovic made headlines at the beginning of the pandemic when he said he's against mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Missouri bar, where a gaggle of pool partiers packed in like sardines over the holiday, says it's NOT going to stop hosting aqua ragers ... no matter how much heat they take for it.

Andy Prewitt's a manager at Backwater Jack's -- where dozens of people gathered for a massive pool party in Lake of the Ozarks -- and he tells TMZ the good times must roll on into summer ... meaning they're not planning to ax any future get-togethers like this.

We're told the reason Backwater Jack's is pressing forward is because, well, it's a matter of financial survival. Prewitt says while the staff is concerned about public health, they're equally worried about making ends meet and keeping the business afloat. So, they'll do what they must.

ICYMI ... upwards of 1,500 heads flocked into BJ's on Saturday for a daytime shindig in their shallow pool -- and funny enough, we're told management never considered shutting it down ... despite the fact the event got a tsk-tsk scolding from Missouri officials.

One other thing ... Prewitt goes on to tell us he feels like Backwater is being unfairly singled out -- as he claims other bars in the immediate area were equally as busy. And, besides, the manager says they tried their best to be quarantine-friendly, checking temps when folks walked in and giving them hand sanitizer to use on themselves. Uh ... thanks?

In any case, Prewitt says they've got 2 more big blowouts like this planned through summer, which they've appropriately dubbed No Ducks Given parties.

Keisha Lance Bottoms is disappointed some folks are still playing with fire in an untamed pandemic, like this wild house party in her city ... but she's encouraged by people taking it seriously.

Here's the deal ... someone decided it was a good idea to host a massive rager in Atlanta over Memorial Day Weekend, and the shindig was billed as a private, topless mansion party, with over 800 people attending before police shut it down.

Videos from inside the bash show revelers packed inside the mansion like sardines, topless dancers twerking in front of a huge circle of people, as money rained down.

The party is drawing a stern response from the Mayor of Atlanta ... a spokesperson for Bottoms tells TMZ, "While the Mayor is extremely disappointed to see these isolated events, she is encouraged by the vast majority of Atlantans who value their lives and the lives of others enough to practice social distancing and use some common sense.”

Translation ... a few bad apples won't overshadow the rest of you.

Remember, Mayor Bottoms has been urging Atlanta residents to be responsible and stay home during the pandemic, even as Governor Brian Kemp and President Trump push forward with reopening states and economies.

As for the party, we're told the owner of the house owns a couple strip clubs in the area ... and cops shut it down Saturday at midnight.

The Atlanta Police Department tells TMZ ... officers responded to a noise complaint and ticketed about a dozen cars for parking illegally.