Tennis

Roger Federer knows he ain't gonna be the best forever ... and he's revealing to TMZ Sports his biggest threats to the throne -- and one of the guys just helped Fed break a huge record!!

We spoke with the 38-year-old superstar out in NYC and asked straight-up which young guns are giving him the biggest headaches ... and Federer name-drops 2 dudes he's got in the rearview -- 22-year-old German Alexander Zverev and 21-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece!!

Of course, Federer and #7 Zverev just broke a major attendance record when more than 42,000 people showed up to watch their exhibition in Mexico City over the weekend.

Federer beat Zverev in the exhibition, but Tsitsipas got the best of Fed in the ATP World Tour earlier this month ... before going on to win the whole thing.

"There's a few guys right now. They're gonna make life difficult for us next year," Federer tells us.

The newest Laker Girl is ... GRONK?!

Yep, the (ex?) NFL superstar hit the court at Staples Center on Tuesday night to join the Laker Girls with Venus Williams and James Corden ... and it was ... something!!!

There were high kicks, hip thrusts and some booty poppin' ... and LA's home crowd LOVED IT!!!

If we had to guess, seems the routine was all for a bit for Corden's "The Late Late Show" ... because why the hell else would this happen?

One person who was (sorta) impressed? Rob Gronkowski's girlfriend Camille Kostek, who used to cheerlead for the Patriots.

"Still deciding if I’m a proud girlfriend over this," Camille said. "Nevertheless .... this is an EPIC #NeverNotDancing moment I am proud to witness by Mr James and Robert James I LOVE YOU BOTH"

The wild show capped off an eventful day for Gronk ... 'cause just hours before he broke it down at Staples Center, he announced he was staying retired this season and opting to party instead.

As for how the Lakers fared with the 6'6", 265-pound beast rootin' them on ... they kicked ass, beating Oklahoma City, 112-107.

Justin Bieber caught a tennis match across the pond this weekend ... is what you might think at first glance with this photo. Turns out, it's another young famous guy with JB vibes.

David Beckham's second-oldest son, 17-year-old Romeo Beckham, was out Sunday in London watching pro tennis players Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas face off in the Nitto ATP Finals tournament ... where they were actually playing in the final round.

Romeo had a great view sitting next to a beautiful blonde, and interestingly enough ... he was proudly rocking some Drew gear -- which is Bieber's popular unisex clothing brand.

What's wild is that Romeo is a dead ringer for the Biebs, especially with that beanie on. As we've seen, Justin has rocked a similar style himself -- they could be twins, frankly.

Meanwhile, Justin was very much in L.A. this weekend ... enjoying himself a lazy Sunday with his two Savannah cats, his dog and a whole lot of Drew gear around the house. On Sunday, he kept plugging his line ... and even got around to plugging Kylie Jenner too.

Rafael Nadal DESTROYED a reporter who asked the tennis star if his recent marriage caused him to play like trash Monday ... telling the journalist his question was straight-up "bulls**t."

Nadal married his childhood sweetheart, Xisca Perello, in Spain last month ... and in his first big competition at the ATP World Tour Finals since the nuptials, he got wrecked by Alexander Zverev in straight sets, 6-2 6-4.

So, a reporter asked him afterward if perhaps the reason for his poor play was because of his recent wedding vows ... and that's when Nadal started to tee off.

"Honestly, are you asking me this?" Nadal said. "Is [this] a serious question or it's a joke? Is it serious?"

The reporter pushed forward ... but Nadal kept the clap-backs coming.

"I'm surprised," Nadal said. "It's a big surprise for me you ask me this after I have been with the same girl for 15 years and having a very stable and normal life."

"It doesn't matter if you put a ring on your finger or not. In my personal way, I am a very normal guy."

Finally, Nadal ended the uncomfortable exchange by saying, "Okay. We move to Spanish because that's bulls**t. Thank you very much."

For as awkward as the encounter was ... Nadal kept his cool for the most part -- which is good news for the guy, considering he's got to play another match on Wednesday.

There was definitely no love in this tennis match ... as 2 female pros got in an intense shove-off after the final point on Thursday ... and it was all over an aggressive handshake!!!

The match was between Canadian player Katherine Sebov (white shorts) and American Alycia Parks (pink shorts) in the round of 16 of the ITF W60 tournament in Las Vegas.

Sebov won the match in straight sets, but things got physical after Parks claims Sebov squeezed her hand too hard at the net following the match ... and made it clear she didn't like it one bit.

Parks -- who was already heated and had thrown her racket after the final point -- went after Sebov following the shake and that's when all hell broke loose ... with the 2 players shoving each other!!!

The line judge had to interfere ... and Parks' dad jumped a fence (hilarious BTW) to get on the court to help break it up.

Things finally cooled down ... and Parks addressed it with reporters after the match, saying, "She squeezed my hand very hard."

Another pro, Sachia Vickery, also backed Parks' claim, saying, "I was there she def squeezed her hand at the net. I hope they don’t try to spin this."

"The ref clearly says he saw it . Won’t be shocked if nothing is done about it tho"

Turns out, being a pro tennis player helps keep Caroline Wozniacki in INSANE shape!!!

Check out the 29-year-old showing off her shredded bod while rocking a bikini on an L.A. rooftop this week.

Wozniacki has been super busy this year -- when the former #1 ranked player in the world isn't playing tennis, she's been taking classes at Harvard Business School as part of a program that helps athletes build a second career outside of sports.

Caroline is enrolled in the course with her husband, ex-NBA star David Lee, figure skater Ashley Wagner, Knicks guard Reggie Bullock and more.

There are rumblings Wozniacki -- who had a rough 2019 season -- could retire soon, partly due to her battle with rheumatoid arthritis. But, her brother, Patrick, recently announced she will be playing in at least 2 major tournaments in 2020.

"Right now, in January, she plans to compete at a WTA tournament in Auckland and then the Australian Open," Patrick told TV2 in Denmark.

"So she'll play in 2020, and that's always nice. But I don't know what else is on the program."

Remember when Serena Williams absolutely obliterated her racket at a Wimbledon match in 2005??

That piece of history is now up for grabs, 'cause the destroyed racket has hit the auction block ... and the starting bid is $8,000!!!

According to Nate D Sanders Auctions, Serena signed and gifted the busted racket to a fan after losing the first set of her first-round match against longtime friend Angela Haynes.

In true badass fashion, Williams came back and won the match ... after she replaced her busted racket, of course. She went on to place 3rd in the tourney. Her sister, Venus Williams, went on to win Wimbledon that year!

Don't feel too bad for Serena, she's won the tourney 7 TIMES in her storied career -- and racked up more Grand Slam titles than any other woman in tennis history. So yeah, she eventually got over the smashed racket incident.

Bidding on the item kicks off on Thursday with an $8,000 starting bid -- but since people are CRAZY for Serena memorabilia, this thing could skyrocket in price real quick.

Good luck rich people!!!

Behold ... Serena Williams' butt in all its glory!!

Just a few weeks after taking an L in the grand slam final at the U.S. Open, Serena is chillaxing on a beach somewhere ... arms up, cakes out. It's good stuff.

Serena is 37-years-old and continuing to impress in all facets of her life. She's still a beast on the court. Killing it in business. And, her body ... good god.

Despite all the great things, there are still a bunch of racist jerks looking to cause drama in Serena's life, including some moronic Romanian TV host who crawled out of the gutter to describe Williams as a "monkey" during a recent broadcast.

The actual quotes 49-year-old Radu Bancui uttered on TV are so offensive and disgusting, we're not going to publish them here ... but it's been reported he's been fined by the body that oversees content on Romanian television.

Quite frankly, the fine isn't big enough.

Seems Williams has to deal with this kind of crap all the time from various racist idiots all over the world -- including in her home country.

Both Serena and Venus have talked openly about being called the N-word at the 2001 BNP Paribas Open tournament in Indian Wells, California.

But, today, Serena's tuning it all out and basking in her success ... and we couldn't be happier about it.

Colin Kaepernick got a W on Sunday -- and he's got the Emmy to prove it!!

The Nike "Dream Crazy" commercial featuring the NFL quarterback had been nominated for a 2019 Creative Arts Emmy for Best Commercial ... facing stiff competition from ads for Netflix and Apple.

But, Colin's spot emerged victorious ... and we're told Colin and The Swoosh are PUMPED. Our sources tell us Kap is especially proud because he was involved in the creative process.

As we previously reported,  the ad was produced by the Wieden+Kennedy agency -- a Portland-based company located near Nike's headquarters. They famously produced the Terry Crews Old Spice commercials and Bud Lite's "Dilly Dilly."

The spot dropped back in September and featured Kap telling inspirational messages about overcoming the odds ... while using other huge athletes to make his point.

"Don't picture yourself wearing [Odell Beckham's] jersey. Picture OBJ wearing yours," Kap said.

He also referenced Shaquem Griffin, LeBron James and Serena Williams ...

"And, if you’re a girl from Compton, don’t just become a tennis player. Become the greatest athlete ever. Yeah, that’s more like it."

Nike caught some flack for the ad because people took issue with Colin's line, "Believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything."

Critics felt Colin didn't really "sacrifice everything" since he still has millions in the bank -- while military members who died in action really did sacrifice everything fighting for the country.

Genie Bouchard might've left the U.S. Open in defeat -- but she's definitely winning back home at the beach with none other than Hannah Davis' hunky big brother.

The Canadian tennis star -- who got knocked out of the U.S. Open in the first round a couple weeks ago -- was seen cuddling up with Connor Davis Jr. Sunday in Miami. He's directly related to the model who's now married to Derek Jeter. Worlds are colliding!!!

Not only did Genie and Conn get close on shore, but they were also pretty affectionate as they made their way into the water ... not before showing their hot bods though, of course.

Seems like Conn's a good match for Genie, who's in professional athlete shape. He definitely held his own here on the beach ... dude's pretty ripped as far as we can tell.

Once they were in the ocean, Conn and Genie didn't hide the fact that they're together -- Genie was wrapped around him in at least a couple different positions that can really only scream one thing ... we're dating.

Serena Williams was in championship mode ahead of the U.S. Open Final -- and that means she didn't have time to chat ... especially for silly questions about Meghan Markle.

The tennis icon left her hotel Saturday with a look of determination on her face as she boarded a waiting SUV, which was ready to drive her to the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Queens, NYC ... where Serena is facing off against Canadian Bianca Andreescu in the Women's Singles championship later. Paps were standing by, but SW made no time for them.

One photog asked if the Duchess -- a close friend of Serena's, who flew into town this week to watch her pal battle for the trophy -- was going to be a good luck charm for her. She didn't answer ... and the reason is probably this, Serena doesn't need luck.

While we're sure she appreciates Meghan coming out, her presence alone in the stands isn't likely to make a huge difference on how Serena performs. Nice try though.

The camera man made a pretty obvious note to Serena as she closed the door ... saying that the world would be watching this afternoon.

Yes, thanks for pointing that out. She's aware of that too.

U.S. doubles tennis star Mike Bryan pretended to load his racket like a gun and shoot a line judge over an incorrect call ... and the guy was fined $10,000 for the gesture.

It all went down Sunday at the U.S. Open ... when Bryan challenged an "in" call during his doubles match against Federico Delbonis and Roberto Carballés Baena.

Turns out, Bryan was right to protest -- the replay showed the ball was out -- and as part of his celebration for the successful challenge, he pointed his racket at a line judge and pretended to shoot.

Bryan was immediately hit with a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct ... with chair umpire Mariana Alves telling him, "I don't think that was appropriate."

The U.S. Open later fined 41-year-old Bryan $10k ... with U.S. Tennis Association spokesman, Brendan McIntyre, telling the New York Times, "We thought it warranted that amount."

When contacted about the gesture and the fine by the NY Times ... Bryan released a statement apologizing for the act.

"We won the point and the gesture was meant to be playful. But, given the recent news and political climate I understand how my gesture could be viewed as insensitive."

Bryan added, "I promise that I will never do anything like this again."

Serena Williams absolutely destroyed her opponent at the U.S. Open on Tuesday ... and NO ONE was happier for her than Tiger Woods ... who was losing his mind in the stands!!

The golf legend has been a spectator at the major tournament with his GF, Erica Herman, and his 10-year-old son, Charlie, this week ... even geeking out over meeting Rafael Nadal after his match on Monday.

Serena's 44-minute-long quarterfinal match against Wang Qiang was no different ... with Woods front and center for Williams' 6-1, 6-0 dominant performance ... and giving his classic fist pump celebration during the match!!

There were other huge names in the crowd to watch Serena ball out ... from her bestie, Priyanka Chopra, to NBA commish Adam Silver to Martha Stewart and singer James Blake.

As for Serena, next up is #5 ranked Elina Svitolina in the semifinals ... and if it's anything like what we saw on Tuesday, that woman's in trouble.

We spoke briefly with Serena in NYC on Wednesday morning -- and she told us if she wins the event this year, racking up her 24th grand slam ... she'll be back next year to try and claim #25!

Our guy also wished Serena's daughter a belated happy birthday -- and Serena politely reminded us that she's a Jehovah's Witness and therefore, they don't celebrate birthdays.

Serena Williams and her husband are worth nearly $200 million, but they still opt for the simplest form of mass transit in NYC -- a dude on a bicycle.

Serena spent part of Saturday, her off-day from the U.S. Open, cruising in a pedicab with hubby Alexis Ohanian and their daughter, Alexis. Talk about pressure on the pedicab rider -- just weaving through crazy city traffic with the G.O.A.T. of tennis hitched to you!

The fam was most likely having an early celebration their little girl's birthday ... she turns 2 on Sunday, but Mom's gonna be busy playing Petra Martic for a spot in the quarterfinals.

We're used to seeing Serena's killer instincts on the tennis court, but it's cool to see her maternal side here. Serena cradled her little girl -- while rocking matching tennis skirts, BTW -- while Dad settled up with the cab rider. Pretty freakin' cute.

YBN Cordae says there isn't much he can do to help his girlfriend, Naomi Osaka, prepare for a big tennis tournament ... other than be a supportive BF, that is.

We got the Maryland-based rapper leaving a Puma Store Friday night in NYC, where he's in town for the U.S. Open -- in which Naomi is competing and defending her championship. She's got a huge match Saturday night against up-and-comer Coco Gauff. Should be good.

Seeing how Naomi's got a lot on the table ... we asked Cordae if he does anything in particular to help her get ready for these high-stakes moments. Turns out, he says he mostly gets out of the way and let's her do her thing ... 'cause she knows what she's doing.

One thing he is in charge of though ... getting her to bed on time. Yep, that's good boyfriendin' 101, especially if your girl is an international superstar athlete.

Our camera guy also asks if he was able to glean any knowledge off off Kobe Bryant and Colin Kaepernick this week, as they were both sitting near YBN in the stands on Thursday.

Huge moment at the U.S. Open in New York ... where Colin Kaepernick and Kobe Bryant were spotted together in the stands to watch Naomi Osaka do her thing!

Kobe spotted Colin in the stands at Louis Armstrong Stadium and went over to say hi ... and when CK realized what was happening, he sprung up from his seat with a huge smile on his face!!

The guys did the ol' bro hug and talked for a bit before going back to watching the match.

And, get this ... Naomi's rap star boyfriend, YBN Cordae, was sitting right by the guys when the whole thing went down.

We also noticed Kap and Kobe were surrounded by security -- for obvious reasons.