Tennis

Denis Shapovalov just went scorched earth at the Italian Open -- the Canadian tennis star told fans in the stands to "shut the f*** up" in a fit of rage ... and the moment was captured on video.

The incident went down during Shapovalov's match against Lorenzo Sonego in the tourney's round of 64 ... when Denis got into an argument with the umpire on the sideline.

Denis was upset over a point penalty he received after crossing the net to show the ump a mark on the court ... and when he approached the guy on the sideline, fans in attendance at the Grand Stand Arena let him hear it with a loud chorus of boos.

In the short clip, Shapovalov turns to the crowd and yells, "Shut the f*** up," before going back to plead his case in front of the supervisor.

The 23-year-old later apologized for his outburst ... saying he understands the ump was just doing his job.

LeBron James came back Saturday night to where he started the weekend ... at CARBONE BEACH in Miami Beach, and he partied his ass off!!!

LeBron was having a great time, drinking, dancing and hanging with pals. It's all part of Grand Prix weekend, and it was wild.

There were other celebs on hand ... Meek Mill showed up with some friends and was chilling with the crowd. Patrick Mahomes was also there with his wife Brittany Matthews.

But that's just the beginning of the roster ... Serena and Venus Williams, Travis Kelce, Lindsey Vonn, Kevin Love and lots of others showed up for a night of great food and partying.

LeBron didn't stop at Carbone ... at a point -- late in the evening -- he bailed and went to another club and partied most of the night.

Tennis legend Boris Becker was just sentenced to 2.5 years in prison after being convicted last month on charges he moved a large sum of money after declaring bankruptcy ... in an effort to hide the funds.

As we previously reported, 54-year-old Becker -- a 6-time Grand Slam winner -- was convicted by a jury earlier this month on multiple charges under the Insolvency Act in Britain ... including charges he concealed assets and debts.

Becker was also found guilty of transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars (well, pounds) from his business account to other accounts after declaring bankruptcy in 2017.

The judge who handed down the sentence said the former #1 ranked tennis player will have to serve half of his sentence, according to CNN.

And, it could've been much worse for Becker ... who was facing up to 7 years behind bars after his conviction.

The judge didn't spare the 3-time Wimbledon champ from taking a verbal beating during sentencing ...  the judge ripped into Boris as a remorseless criminal.

"I take into account what has been described as your fall from grace. You have lost your career and reputation and all of your property as a result of your bankruptcy," the judge said, according to the Press Association.

"You have not shown remorse, acceptance of your guilt and have sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy."

The judge continued ... "While I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there has been no humility."

As for Becker ... he seemed somewhat remorseful at times, even saying during his trial that he was embarrassed over the bankruptcy scandal, and even offered to part ways with his wedding ring to help satisfy his debts.

Novak Djokovic is condemning the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian tennis players from competing at Wimbledon due to the war in Ukraine ... calling the move flat out "crazy."

The Serbian tennis star spoke out against Wimbledon's decision to prevent tennis athletes from Russia and Belarus (a strong ally of Russia) from playing in the high-profile tournament on Wednesday ... saying it was the wrong move.

"I will always condemn war," Djokovic said. "I will never support war, being myself a child of war. I know how much emotional trauma it leaves. In Serbia, we all know what happened in 1999. In the Balkans, we have had many wars in recent history."

"However, I cannot support the decision of Wimbledon. I think it is crazy," he added.

The world's #1-ranked tennis player went on to say, "When politics interfere with sport, the result is not good."

As we previously reported, the All England Club dropped the bombshell news saying it was their responsibility to play their part in limiting Russia's global influence ... electing to keep Russian and Belarusian players from competing.

"In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships," the official statement read.

"It is, therefore, our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships 2022."

It's been nearly two months since Russia, led by President Vladimir Putin, violently launched an aggressive war against Ukraine.

Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams could be Chelsea FC's next owners -- both sports icons have reportedly pledged MILLIONS in a bid to buy the club.

The F1 superstar and tennis legend have joined British business mogul Martin Broughton's group of rich and powerful investors hoping to purchase the team from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, according to Reuters.

There's a report Hamilton and Williams both paid $13 million each ... but the Mercedes driver's rep claims that is not an accurate number. In fact, we're told Lewis contributed tens of millions as part of the bid.

Josh Harris and David Blitzer -- who own the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils -- are also part of the bid.

Of course, Abramovich recently put the team up for sale amid the UK government's sanctions to seize the assets of those close to Vladimir Putin.

While RA has denied being tight with the Russian president, he still put the team on the market ... with a reported $3.93 billion price tag.

Williams made nearly $46 million alone in 2021 ... while Hamilton raked in $82 million.

Hall of Famer Pam Shriver claims she had an "inappropriate" relationship with her much older tennis coach, Don Candy, when she was just 17 years old ... calling it a "miserable" experience.

The 59-year-old tennis commentator made the shocking revelation on ESPN's "Outside The Lines" this week ... when she detailed how her underage relationship impacted her every day.

"It affected me in almost every way," Shriver said. "He [Candy] was 33 years older. He was married. He was married long before I took my first lesson from him. I felt a lot of shame and guilt and I felt also a lot of anger, jealousy when his wife would come to tournaments."

"So I was just basically, at times, really miserable," Shriver added, "and because I was living the life of trying to be the best tennis player I can be, I really didn't understand how difficult the whole secret and the juggling was. And so I just kept it to myself."

Shriver told OTL some of her close friends eventually learned about her then-relationship with Candy -- who passed away in 2020 at age 91 -- but says at the time, what she was doing wasn't an uncommon thing.

"We weren't the only boundary-crossing relationship on the tour."

As for why the tennis legend chose to divulge this information over 40 years later, Shriver said she never allowed herself to think about how damaging the relationship with Candy was to her life and to her career.

Shriver notes Candy was not a predator -- nor did he physically or emotionally abuse her -- but says what happened was his responsibility.

Shriver said after her mom died last August, she did some reflecting on her experience ... and one of her biggest regrets is not telling her parents what happened.

"It's a tough one to tell parents, but there's nobody who wants to keep you safe and healthy more than your parents."

"I just feel like it's time. For me, I feel like it's important for my healing and it's important that I can maybe feel that me coming forward and talking about my story in detail might just help a few young players. Maybe it'll help coaches to understand that they need to not cross that boundary."

As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to rage on, Russian tennis players will be banned from this year's Wimbledon tournament ... arguably the biggest, most important tennis tourney in the world.

The story was first reported by Sportico Tuesday morning ... and The All England Club -- who runs the club which hosts Wimbledon -- later released a statement explaining the move.

"Given the profile of The Championships in the United Kingdom and around the world, it is our responsibility to play our part in the widespread efforts of Government, industry, sporting and creative institutions to limit Russia's global influence through the strongest means possible," TAEC announced.

"In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships. It is, therefore, our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships 2022."

Of course, Russia is in the midst of a brutal invasion of Ukraine ... and has routinely, without mercy, shelled civilian populations over the 50+ day war.

Belarus -- a strong ally of Russia -- is presumably banned because of the country's involvement in the war. They've acted as a jumping-off point for Russian forces ... as Belarus shares a border with Ukraine.

Many of the West's sanctions have also been aimed at Belarus.

Wimbledon kicks off on June 27 ... and goes through July 10.

The ban is bad news for tennis star Daniil Medvedev, the current No.2 ranked men's tennis player in the world, who won't be allowed to compete.

One of Medvedev's contemporaries, Andrey Rublev, who's also from Russia, will be banned from competing at Wimbledon as well.

You'll recall, Rublev famously wrote, "No More War Please," after advancing to the Final at the Dubai Championships in February.

Maria Sharapova got the best birthday gift ever this year -- the tennis superstar just announced she's pregnant!!

35-year-old Sharapova broke the news on Tuesday ... sharing a pic of her in a bikini top and sweats -- showing off her growing baby bump.

"Precious beginnings!!! 🤍👼🏻," Maria said on Instagram. "Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty ☺️🐣🎂"

The 5-time Grand Slam champ is welcoming the baby with her fiancé, businessman Alexander Gilkes. The couple has been together since 2018 ... and got engaged back in 2020.

Sharapova's celebrity friends shared their excitement for the couple ... including sports broadcaster Erin Andrews, Lily Collins and more.

Sharapova became the #1-ranked tennis player in the world back in 2005 ... racking up more than 600 singles wins in her career. She announced her retirement in 2020.

This is Sharapova's first child. She was previously linked to NBAer Sasha Vujačić and tennis player Grigor Dimitrov.

Kim Clijsters is putting down the racket for good -- again -- the tennis superstar just announced she's retiring from the sport for the third time to focus on her family.

The 38-year-old former #1 overall player in the world broke the news via Instagram on Tuesday ... saying, "I want to share with you that I have decided to no longer play official tournaments."

This will be the third time the Belgian player has retired -- in 2007, she left to marry former basketball player Brian Lynch. She later gave birth to their first child, Jada, in 2008.

Clijsters returned to the court in 2009, before retiring again in 2012. She gave birth to two boys, Jake and Blake, during her time away ... before making another comeback in February 2020.

Unfortunately, Clijsters' second return came right when the COVID-19 pandemic started ... putting a halt to all sporting events. She tested positive for the virus in January 2021.

Clijsters was also plagued with injuries recently ... and her last official match was Oct. 7, 2021.

"I can’t wait to see what new adventures will cross my path," Clijsters said.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past two years!"

Boris Becker has been convicted by a jury of his peers who believed he committed bankruptcy fraud, and he could spend years behind bars as a result.

The 54-year-old tennis great was convicted on multiple charges, including concealing assets and debts, and we're talking about more than a million bucks in debt.

It wasn't a total loss ... Becker was acquitted on 20 additional charges, including allegations he failed to turn over his Olympic gold medal and Wimbledon awards to the bankruptcy trustee.

Boris now faces 7 years in prison. He's free on bail pending sentencing, which is scheduled for later this month.

Becker was mum on the verdict. As you probably know ... he was an unstoppable force in tennis, winning 6 Grand Slams.

During the trial, Becker admitted he squandered his fortune -- $50 mil -- on his first divorce, child support and an extravagant lifestyle.

The junior tennis player who slapped his opponent in the face following a match earlier this week has issued an apology ... saying his actions were "wrong and completely out of line."

Just three days after 15-year-old Michael Kouame smacked 16-year-old Raphael Nii Ankrah following a loss at an ITF juniors tournament in Ghana ... he said he was very sorry.

Kouame -- who posted the mea culpa on his social media page -- said he acted out and slapped Ankrah after hearing heckling from the crowd during the match.

"I was repeatedly verbally abused by a large number of individuals in the crowd, including insults to my mother in particular," Kouame said. "However, that does not excuse my behavior."

Kouame directly apologized to Ankrah ... and said he'd take any punishment that officials inevitably hand down.

"[I] will use this time to reflect on how I can better manage challenging situations like these in the future in a manner that accurately reflects my character," Kouame said.

A French tennis player did his best Will Smith impression after a match on Monday -- as in, he slapped the hell out of his opponent's face in a fit of rage.

Just seconds after 15-year-old Michael Kouame lost a tilt to 16-year-old Raphael Nii Ankrah at an ITF juniors tournament in Ghana ... he reached back and smacked his opponent in the jaw.

Video shows Ankrah had no idea the attack was coming -- in fact, the footage reveals that just moments before the slap, he had actually shaken hands with Kouame.

No word on why Kouame launched the open hand, but further video from the scene shows it ignited a near brawl on the court afterward.

Kouame was the tournament's No. 1 seed heading into the match -- which happened in the first round of the event.

Mason Rudolph out ... Matt Harvey in???

TMZ Sports has learned the MLB pitcher chatted up Genie Bouchard at a music festival in Miami just weeks after the tennis star broke up with her longtime BF -- and it's got us all wondering, are the two now igniting a new romance?

We obtained a picture and video of Bouchard with the baseball player at Ultra on Saturday night ... and while we're told there was no kissing, touching or feeling going on -- it seems apparent Harvey was interested in getting her ear.

You'll recall, Harvey has been linked to Bouchard in the past -- back in 2014 while Harvey was starring for the Mets, he reportedly tried to grab tickets to one of Bouchard's U.S. Open matches and potentially meet her afterward.

No word on if the two were ever able to connect back in the day ... but the duo certainly seems to have met now.

Of course, 28-year-old Bouchard is just recently single -- she and Rudolph's split is very fresh -- so it's unclear if she's looking to jump back in the dating pool again.

As for 33-year-old Harvey, he's single ... and has been known to date some very pretty people in the past.

This year's Oscars got off to a great start -- with Beyonce leading the charge with a musical number that wasn't even in the building ... and a little help from her kid.

Venus and Serena Williams were the first faces we saw Sunday as the telecast got underway from within the Dolby Theater in DTLA, with the two super star athletes immediately tossing things to Bey ... who did a live performance of her song 'Be Alive,' and doing so from a tennis court in Compton.

This is where Serena and Venus got their start when they first learning the sport, which they alluded to in their comments. And to mark the special occasion, the entire court was draped in lime green covers ... as was Beyonce and the rest of her dance troupe.

The catchy tune is featured in the Oscar-nominated film 'King Richard,' which tells the story of Serena and Venus' father, Richard Williams ... who was portrayed by a stellar Will Smith. Of course, 'Be Alive' itself is up for Best Original Song ... which explains Bey's appearance.

She wasn't the only one from the Carter-Knowles family that was on the court though -- young Blue Ivy herself was also on hand. Indeed, that was her dancing down in front with the sunglasses on ... seems they were trying to keep her presence low-key.

She was spotted nonetheless, and based on how well she was moving ... BI might just have a future job as a dancer. Lucky for her, mom and dad are always in need -- so she'll probably always have a slot booked.

Naomi Osaka is taking further steps to try to improve her mental health following her breakdown at Indian Wells ... announcing Wednesday she's now seeing a therapist.

Osaka shared the news with reporters after her match in the first round of the Miami Open ... when asked how she's mentally preparing to compete following her emotional meltdown on the court in California two weeks ago.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to say this," Osaka said, "but I finally started talking to a therapist after Indian Wells."

The tennis star said her therapy -- while recent and fresh -- is already paying off ... explaining she's receiving strategies for how to cope with events that bother her.

Osaka said she finally decided to go to a therapist because her sister was concerned for her after she began crying on the court earlier this month following a heckler's "you suck" comment.

Ben Stiller got dragged into a beef between tennis star Nick Kyrgios and a heckler at a famous tournament on Thursday -- and the scene was hilarious.

Here's the deal -- at one point during Kyrgios' match against Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells in California ... the Australian hit a serve that caused a fan to talk some trash.

Kyrgios fired back right away -- asking him straight-up, "Are you good at tennis!?"

When the fan responded, "No," Nick went off.

"Exactly!" he said. "So why are you speaking?!?"

Then, he brought Stiller -- who was sitting courtside with his wife, Christine -- into the equation.

"Do I tell him how to act!?!" he asked as he pointed his racket at the "Meet the Parents" actor. "No!"

Kyrgios went back to action on the court -- but broadcast cameras caught Stiller grinning over it all.

Kyrgios went on to lose to Nadal -- and then he continued his eventful day, by nearly nailing a ball boy with his racket in frustration.

Check out the clip -- Kyrgios shook hands with Nadal after the match, and then as he started to walk away, he wound up and threw his racket across the court -- nearly hitting the ball boy who was standing along the wall.

Fortunately for the guy, he wasn't hurt, but it was a close call and even drew gasps from the fans left in the stands.

Kyrgios, however, did make amends for his mistake ... and apologized for almost striking the guy.

"Hey bro! Sorry about my racket incident at the end! Complete accident, you all ok from it?" Kyrgios wrote in an apology he posted on Twitter.

Nick then offered to give the guy a tennis racket over it all ... saying he'd track him down if need be at the courts, so he could personally deliver him the gift.

"Sound all G?" Kyrgios asked the guy, to which he replied, "Perfect. Thank you so much!"

Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen Nick have a temper tantrum almost result in someone getting hurt.