Tennis

Tennis legend Jimmy Connors wants everyone to BACK OFF former Indian Wells CEO Ray Moore -- saying his sexist rant was just a "loose statement" and people need to "let it go."

Moore resigned last week after ranting that male stars carry the sport -- saying, "If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born."

"Ray's my friend," Connors told us outside of Madeo ... "He's been my friend for 50 years."

"The guy makes a mistake. He says one loose thing ... but look at everything he's done on the positive side for tennis, women's tennis, men's tennis in general."

"Some guys make a loose statement," he added ... "Let it go, look at the positive things he's done and move on."

Now that she's got free time (thanks to that suspension) tennis superstar Maria Sharapova ran for the border this weekend ... spending her Easter in a bikini with Chelsea Handler.

The two were spotted in an exclusive area of Cabo San Lucas -- where they took in some sun, took out a boat ... and even rapped together.

The 28-year-old was provisionally banned from tennis after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium ... but it seems she's treating the whole thing more like a vacation than a punishment.

Ole!!!

Even the United Nations is cutting ties with Maria Sharapova ... with the UN's Development Program announcing it's suspended its relationship with her after her failed drug test.

The NYC-based group issued a statement saying, "In light of Ms. Sharapova's recent announcement, we last week suspended her role as a Goodwill Ambassador and any planned activities while the investigation continues."

The group says it "remains grateful to Maria Sharapova for her support of our work, especially around the Chernobyl nuclear disaster recovery."

Maria has been an ambassador for the UNDP since 2007 -- and had a good working relationship with her foundation.

She's about to be suspended from the court ... but Maria Sharapova still has the beach -- and today, she grabbed her racket to hit some balls on the sand.

Despite the fact Nike suspended her deal in the wake of her failed drug test, Maria was sporting Swoosh pants and shoes on an L.A. beach Wednesday afternoon ... with a smile on her face.

Maria admitted she tested positive for a banned substance at the Australian Open back in January -- and the International Tennis Federation has announced she'll be provisionally suspended starting March 12th.

In the meantime, might as well get a tan right?

Novak Djokovic says he "feels" for tennis superstar Maria Sharapova -- telling TMZ Sports he hopes she's able to overcome her drug suspension and come back even stronger than before.

Djokovic was at the Lakers game Tuesday night (he's a big Kobe fan) when we asked about the biggest story in his sport ... Sharapova failing a doping test.

The news has damaged Sharapova's deals with her huge sponsors like Nike, Tag Heuer and Porsche ... which are all distancing themselves from the tennis superstar.

So, how does Djokovic feel about the situation??

He feels bad for Maria ... but he won't turn his back on her.

How do you make a drone fly? Slap some custom paint on it!!

That's what tennis superstar Novak Djokovic just did to his personal aircraft -- sending his drone to one of the most famous car customizers in the world for a personalized pimp job.

We spoke with Alex Vega of the Autofirm in Miami (the same guy who pimped out Yoenis Cespedes' rides) ... who tells us Novak's drone is the first one he's ever worked on.

"The #1 tennis player in the world Novak Djokovic contacted me and wanted me to customize his drone so he can fly it over his tennis match this weekend (The Davis Cup)."

"His sponsor California Date sent him the drone and he wanted to get it custom painted so I used an Avorza edition yellow and aqua green ... which are the colors of his sponsor."

So, how much does it cost to pimp your drone?

Roughly $500.

#HeCanAffordIt

How talented is Mike Tyson's daughter Milan at tennis? So talented that an ex-tennis star says he'd be willing to take the little crusher under his wing ... and train her to be the next Serena.

Former Wimbledon champ Goran Ivanisevic was in L.A. when we showed him some video of 7-year-old Milan flashing her skills ... and asked if he thought she had the goods.

Goran knows talent ... he currently coaches Croatian star Marin Cilic and was in his corner when Cilic took home the 2014 U.S. Open championship.

Ivanisevic liked what he saw ... saying he'd definitely be willing to give the little tyke some tutelage ... if Mike and Milan are willing to make the short trip over to Croatia.

Hey Mike ... buy a coat, make the trip.

Listen, we all love Serena Williams. We all know she's succeeded in almost everything she's done including fashion design, tennis, and modeling.

We said ALMOST.

Here's Serena dancing at what looks to be some type of hip-hop or interpretive dance class and the reality is ... she's a really great tennis player.

Looks like SW and Venus are due to hit up the class together next week so who knows ... maybe she's more of a doubles player when it comes to the art of the dance.

#ElaineSwag.

Here's Mike Tyson absolutely MASHING tennis balls during a lesson with his 7-year-old daughter -- who, by the way, is a frickin' PRODIGY!!!

Mike and Milan grabbed their rackets and went all smashy smashy -- Mike's form may not be the best, but you can see the insane power in his forehand and backhand swing.

But check out Milan -- who says her idol is Serena Williams -- and she's already winning youth tourneys with her impressive play!

... and if the tennis thing doesn't work out -- she's also got potential as a boxer!

Justin Bieber is damn serious about his stroke, so serious ... he's seeking professional help.

Justin was taking tennis lessons this weekend in L.A., concentrating on his forehand. We've already seen Sporty Biebs kill it in hockey, skateboarding, ping pong and hoops. Remember, he already has an MVP trophy from an NBA Celebrity All-Star game.

Anyway, tennis is a way better pastime than pissing off Mayan Gods by pulling down your pants -- so kudos to Bieber.

10:58 AM PT -- More sad news ... Serena just announced her beloved Jackie has passed away.

Williams wrote a touching note about her dog ... saying, "My special friend in which I got at 17 (2 weeks before I won my very first Grand Slam) left me today."

Tennis star James Blake says he won't hold a grudge against the entire NYPD after he was body-slammed by a cop last month ... but he's still scared of the dude who roughed him up.

Blake was back out in NYC Wednesday -- where he's gearing up to run the marathon -- and told us he strongly believes 95% of the cops in the NYPD are great ... it's that other 5% he's worried about.

As we previously reported, Blake was tackled down to the ground when cops mistook him for a suspect in a credit card fraud investigation.

Blake tells TMZ Sports he is NOT planning a lawsuit against the force ... but does have one request to help make things right.

Since Blake knows a thing or two about police brutality, we asked him how he felt about the situation at Spring Valley High, where a deputy was fired for attacking a student.

Check out the clip.

Serena Williams proved her ass is buoyant ... floating it down the San Marcos River in Texas this past weekend ... with the guy who played Oliver Queen's sidekick on "Arrow."

The tennis superstar strapped on her bathing suit and grabbed some inner tubes -- along with Colton Haynes ... who played Roy Harper (aka Arsenal) on the CW show.

The San Marcos River is basically a summer party spot -- where people grab beers and other alcoholic beverages and booze away as they float down the river.

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova’s eyes are causing quite a racket on the tennis court! Take a closer look at the sexy Slovakian tennis player serving up a serious case of crazy eyes while on the court.

Drake is the new Jessica Simpson ... because he showed up Friday to watch girlfriend Serena Williams in the U.S. Open ... and she lost!!!

Williams was on the road to making history as only the sixth player ever to win all 4 grand slams in a year ... but that dream got derailed by Roberta Vinci, who beat Williams in 3 sets.

Drake was there to cheer her on to victory ... the first time he's watched her there. To be fair, he was present when Serena won at Wimbledon.

After the loss, Serena was understandably devastated -- but watch for her comment about Vinci's age. Is she throwing praise or shade?

Think we may have just found the biggest tennis fan in the world 'cause this dog can't contain his excitement watching Serena Williams vs Venus Williams during the U.S. Open.

We're guessing George is more of a Venus fan since his tail turns into a tornado of fur every time she's on the screen.