Tennis

A piece of tennis history is up for auction -- the shirt worn by Rafael Nadal en route to his first-ever Grand Slam title at the 2005 French Open ... and it's expected to fetch a pretty penny!!

TMZ Sports is told the match-worn shirt -- which Nadal wore during the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final at Roland Garros -- is being made available via Prestige Memorabilia.

We're told the legendary green sleeveless tee had a starting bid of $25,000 ... but is expected to sell for $100k -- and that's understandable given its history. Besides being the first time Nadal competed in the French Open, it marked the first showdown between the man who would become a longtime rival of his -- Roger Federer.

Kate Middleton's back in the public eye ... appearing at Wimbledon -- her second public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis -- and, the crowd gave her a welcome fit for a royal.

The Princess of Wales pulled up to the All England Club Sunday for the men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic ... and, check out the clip of her making her way to her seat -- thunderous applause follows.

Her Royal Highness waves to the audience for around 30 seconds while they clap and cheer her ... with many filming the awe-inspiring moment at the stadium.

Harrison Butker fired back at Serena Williams for her critical comments about him onstage while he was sitting in the audience at the ESPY Awards this week.

Butker took a shot at the tennis legend for dissing his views about women becoming homemakers during a commencement speech he gave at Benedictine College in May. He also made controversial statements about abortion and the LGBTQ community.

The Kansas City Chiefs kicker told NBC News, "I thought Mrs. Williams was a great host and applaud her for using her platform to express her beliefs on a variety of topics. Sports are supposed to be the great unifier."

Kate Middleton ain't letting cancer keep her down ... 'cause she's gonna attend Britain's most famous professional tennis tournament -- Wimbledon -- and she'll even be taking on a an important task!

Kensington Palace just issued a statement saying that the Princess of Wales will be a special guest at Sunday's men's singles final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. After the match, Kate will present the winner with the silver-gilt Wimbledon Cup trophy.

The event will mark Kate's second public outing since she announced her cancer diagnosis in March. Her first appearance came in June when she arrived at the Trooping the Colour for King Charles' birthday parade.

Margot Robbie's showing off her maternity fashion sense on the big stage -- making her first public appearance since revealing her pregnancy at Wimbledon.

The "Barbie" star dressed up her baby bump in a white and black polka dot maternity dress Friday at the All England Club in London.

Margot and husband Tom Ackerley were all smiles as they watched Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev battle on the Centre Court grass ... and the expectant parents even smooched in the stands during the semifinal match.

Novak Djokovic walked off Centre Court at Wimbledon with a win on Monday, but not before clapping back at the disrespectful fans in attendance, trolling spectators during his post-match interview!

Following 37-year-old Djokovic's straight sets win over 21-year-old, 15-seed Holger Rune, Novak used his on-court interview to call out fans in a rather creative way.

Some background for context ... fans of Rune tend to draw out his last name during tournaments, chanting "Runnnnnnneeeeeee." Just fans having a little bit of fun, right?!

Madison Keys' fiancé found himself in a pick-le ... 'cause ESPN jumped to him at the wrong time -- and, they caught him fingertip deep in his nostril.

The American tennis star was in the third set of her round of 16 match against Italian player Jasmine Paolini Sunday when ESPN's broadcast flashed over to her coach and fiancé, Bjorn Fratangelo.

Check out the clip ... Bjorn's hanging out and chatting with a woman to his right, when he brings his fingers up to his nose and decides to drag out a bothersome boogie.

Genie Bouchard is single for the summer ... TMZ Sports has learned the tennis star and her longtime boyfriend, Jack Brinkley-Cook, have broken up.

Our sources say the two officially headed to Splitsville in April ... calling off a relationship that had lasted somewhere around two years.

The couple was first spotted together getting cozy on a beach in 2022 -- just after her breakup with NFL quarterback Mason Rudolph -- and in September 2023, they went Instagram official.

Tennis star Andrey Rublev melted down during his Wimbledon match on Tuesday ... beating himself repeatedly with his racket -- and the wild outburst was all captured on video.

Rublev's temper tantrum happened in the middle of his face-off with Francisco Comesana ... after he failed to return one of his opponent's shots.

As the ball went sailing toward the crowd, Rublev saw red ... and slammed his racket into his knee over and over and over again.

Serena Williams took a moment for some self-care ... letting her fans in on a procedure targeting her birthing scars -- something that's been a hang-up for her since having kids.

The retired tennis legend shared an IG clip of herself getting a radio frequency skin-tightening treatment -- and as you can see ... she's lying on an exam table as a technician rubs an ultrasound-like wand over her stomach.

Serena explained the video was filmed during a Parisian getaway, where her thoughtful pal -- knowing full well she felt self-conscious about her tummy post-childbirth -- treated her to a day at Maison Lutétia spa.

For those hoping Roger Federer would have a change of heart about his retirement decision ... the 20-time Grand Slam champion tells TMZ Sports it's time to give up hope -- 'cause he's adamant he's really done playing for good.

We caught up with the 42-year-old tennis great out in NYC this week ... and despite hanging up the racket back in 2022, there were still a ton of fans waiting outside to greet him.

Federer spoke with our cameras for a bit as he signed autographs ... and when we asked about any urges to unretire -- he responded with an emphatic "NO!"

The last thing Novak Djokovic probably expected while signing autographs after his win at the Italian Open was to get hurt ... but that's exactly what happened -- as a flying water bottle from the stands nailed him in the head, leaving him crouching in pain.

Djokovic approached his supporters after a 6-3, 6-1 win over France's Corentin Moutet on Friday ... and decided to show some love by scribbling his Hancock on some memorabilia.

Videos on X show Djokovic falling to the ground and grabbing his head after the water bottle struck him in the head.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's new Netflix venture's already poppin' with star power ... 'cause early filming saw Serena Williams hangin' with the duo!

The Sussexes were down in Miami shooting their new show for Netflix all about the polo world ... attending the Royal Salute Polo Challenge Friday.

Check out the pics ... Harry's all decked out in his polo gear -- ready to hop on a horse and score a few points with cameras ready to cover it all.

The L.A. area mansion Serena and Venus Williams purchased years ago for their mother is hitting the market ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the tennis superstars grabbed this Woodland Hills property for their mom/coach, Oracene Price, back in 2005 ... just as their careers were skyrocketing. Oracene lived in the mansion up until 2019, when it was reportedly sold for just under $2 million.

Now the property is going back on the market, and our real estate sources tell us it will be listed for $4,649,000 starting Friday.

Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka is breaking her silence on Konstantin Koltsov's passing ... calling it "an unthinkable tragedy" -- while confirming the two had split prior to his death.

Sabalenka -- who dated the former NHL player from 2021 until recently -- penned a heartfelt message on her Instagram page Wednesday evening ... two days after Koltsov had died in Miami.

"Konstantin's death is an unthinkable tragedy," she wrote, "and while we were no longer together, my heart is broken."

"Please respect my privacy and his family's privacy during this difficult time."

It's unclear when Sabalenka and Koltsov officially called things off ... but she had just posted a collage of photos and videos of them together for his birthday last April.

Sabalenka is still expected to compete in this weekend's Miami Open in the wake of the tragedy, although she reportedly will not speak to media members throughout the event. She's slated to play her first match at the tournament on Friday.

As we reported, Koltsov -- an ex-Pittsburgh Penguins first-round pick -- was found dead at around 12:39 AM on Monday at the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort. Cops suspect he died by suicide ... saying in a statement that no foul play was apparent.

French tennis player Arthur Cazaux suffered a terrifying health scare during his match Monday -- collapsing on the court as medics rushed to his aid.

Cazaux was waiting to return serve from Harold Mayot in the third set of their game at the Miami Open when he suddenly crumpled to the ground while the TV cameras were rolling.

Check out the video ... Cazaux was laid out on his back with his body twitching and his stiff arms pointing to the sky before they went limp.

Paramedics and the chair umpire dashed over to help Cazaux, while Mayot also came by to check on his opponent. Cazaux was eventually rolled off the court in a wheelchair.

Cazaux, who is ranked No. 74 in the world, retired from the match as he led 2-1 in the third set. Mayot and Cazaux split the first two sets, 6-4 and 7-5, respectively.

The umpire announced that Cazaux was throwing in the towel due to an illness without offering specifics.

According to weather reports, the temperatures reached the upper 80s to low 90s in Miami yesterday so that may have played a factor.