Tennis

NOT AGAIN!!!

For the second time in a month, Novak Djokovic hit a tennis ball right into a line judge!!!

This time, it was a true accident -- Novak was trying to return a serve when he lunged at the ball ... and re-directed it right at a judge's face!!!

It all went down Monday at the French Open -- Novak was battling Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov.

The good news ... unlike the incident at the U.S. Open, the line judge was uninjured this time!

Also, unlike the U.S. Open ... French Open officials determined this was just a true accident and Novak was allowed to continue with the match.

The big difference from the U.S. Open incident ... Novak smacked a ball out of the court out of pure frustration -- it was NOT in the capacity of trying to play a live ball.

The line judge at the U.S. Open was hit in the neck and fell to her knees -- though, ultimately (thankfully) she was okay.

This time, Novak -- the #1 player in the world -- went on to defeat Khachanov and advanced to the next round of the tournament.

Serena Williams is officially OUT of the French Open ... the tennis legend withdrew from the tournament Wednesday, saying she has an Achilles injury that's hurting like hell.

"Struggling to walk," Serena said of the injury. "So that's kind of a tell-tale sign that I should try to recover."

The 39-year-old hurt her lower leg at the U.S. Open in New York earlier this month ... and thought she had given it enough time to heal to be effective in Paris.

But, Williams said during her opening-round victory over Kristie Ahn on Monday, she felt the tendon aching -- and decided to pull out of the event.

"I had to focus on walking straight so I wasn't limping," Serena said. "And, I tried."

The good news ... Serena says she doesn't think the injury will be a long-term thing -- she told reporters she believes 4-to-6 weeks of rest and recovery should do the trick.

"I feel like my body is actually doing really, really well, and I just ran into, for lack of a better word, bad timing and bad luck, really, in New York," Williams said.

"It happened, but my body is actually doing really, really well.”

Naomi Osaka just won her second U.S. Open title in 2 years -- and as part of her victory speech, she made sure to continue bringing awareness to social justice to the very end.

The tennis superstar defeated Victoria Azarenka Saturday over the course of three sets -- 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 -- and walked away a champion once more ... securing her second U.S. Open women's championship title in 2 years, and her third Grand Slam win in three.

She was clearly overwhelmed by the victory, 'cause she ended up lying down on the court afterward ... and stared straight up to the sky as the crowd cheered her on. Afterward, she was all smiles holding her trophy -- kinda the opposite reaction from when she defeated Serena Williams in 2018.

Anyway, this year has been incredibly noteworthy for Naomi ... not to mention her boyfriend, Cordae, who's been her rock through the entire tournament. Both of them have been very outspoken on racial justice, often wearing clothing with messages supporting BLM.

Saturday proved no different ... Cordae was in the stands and had a shirt on that read "Defund the Police." Prior to her finals match this weekend, Naomi herself was wearing a mask featuring the name of 12-year-old Tamir Rice ... who was gunned down by a cop for playing with a toy gun in Cleveland back in 2014.

Naomi also made sure to make her message clear about the 7 masks she rocked during the U.S. Open -- which blared the names of victims of police brutality. She said she just wants to get more people talking about the issue ... and yes, she certainly achieved that.

Several family members of those people she was amplifying recently thanked her for not forgetting their loved ones ... and shared their gratitude remotely as she went along in the tourney.

Mission accomplished. Congrats!

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka had a Grammy-nominated cheerleader pulling for her at the US Open on Thursday -- her rapper boyfriend, Cordae!!

As we previously reported, the young power couple has been dating since early 2019 ... and are still still going strong during the pandemic.

While regular folks aren't allowed to be in attendance for the Open, 23-year-old Cordae was given the green light as Naomi's guest ... so he was able to be a supportive BF for her semifinal match against Jennifer Brady.

Cordae wasn't just a wallflower, either ... the "Gifted" MC was seen pumping his fist and getting as passionate as you can for a tennis match.

Not like 22-year-old Naomi needed any luck -- she's the 9th-ranked player in the world -- but Cordae's presence didn't hurt ... as she beat Brady 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3 to reach Saturday's final against Victoria Azarenka.

Osaka's been on a tear recently ... and sending a powerful message in the process by honoring victims of violence and police brutality like Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor on her masks.

As for Cordae ... you'll recall the dude used to have 3 letters before his name. But, for those late to the game, the YBN collective is no more.

Powerful videos from the families of Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin -- who thanked Naomi Osaka for her COVID mask tributes at the U.S. Open.

Osaka has been wearing a different name of a violence victim on her face coverings every day of the tournament in NYC ... hoping to bring awareness to Breonna Taylor, Arbery, Martin and others.

And, after her match on Tuesday -- ESPN surprised her with thank you video messages from the families of two of her mask honorees.

In the first, Martin's mom, Sybrina Fulton, praised the 22-year-old tennis player for her tributes ... saying, "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

In the second, Arbery's father, Marcus Arbery Sr., added ... "I just want to tell you thank you for the support on my family. And God bless you for what you're doing."

Osaka initially kept her cool on the set while the videos played ... but she admits she broke down in private after viewing them again.

"I often wonder if what I’m doing is resonating and reaching as many people as I hope," Osaka said. "That being said, I tried to hold it in on set but after watching these back I cried so much."

"The strength and the character both of these parents have is beyond me. Love you both, thank you."

In total, Osaka has displayed five masks tributes at the U.S. Open this week ... featuring the names of Taylor, Arbery, Martin, George Floyd and Elijah McClain.

She says she still has others planned for the rest of the tournament as well.

Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic had a chance to make history at this year's U.S. Open ... but he squandered it away after hitting a judge with a ball out of frustration.

Djokovic was defaulted (disqualified) from the rest of the tournament Sunday in the middle of his fourth-round match against Pablo Carreno Busta -- who was up 6-5 in the first set and had just scored a point -- when ND angrily and haphazardly smacked a ball that hit a lineswoman.

It doesn't appear he tried to hit her, but the fact he struck her (in the neck, no less) and got her removed from the action was enough for him to get booted. You see him immediately run over to check on her, but the damage was done.

Once he was instructed he couldn't play anymore, he quickly grabbed his things and exited the court ... not before giving some handshakes to his opponent and the main judge.

Djokovic was the #1 seed heading into the tourney -- and he was in line to join some elite company if he would've advanced further and racked up more wins. He'd already hit a huge milestone prior to Sunday's match, with 600 hard-court wins ... 3rd most behind Roger Federer (775) and Guillermo Vilas (670). Unfortunately, any further accolades will have to wait.

As for the line judge ... she was escorted off the court, but seemed to be more or less okay. Before sending Djokovic on his way, she made sure to give him a knowing look of unease.

Caption ... "WHAT THE HELL, DUDE!!!"

It looks like these sporty babes have been heading down to the courts, and serving up some seriously hot shots while they're at it ... and all this time inside, it's no wonder these ladies want to get out and about!

Stars such as Josephine Skriver, Kylie Jenner, and Olivia Culpo are managing to keep their distance, while still making time to have some sweet summer fun ... And they aren't the only ones sharing their swinging snaps!

Get ready for the US Open by taking a look through our gallery of tennis babes making a racket to see all the other famous faces that are hitting us with these hot shots!

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka wore a Breonna Taylor tribute mask to her 1st round match at the U.S. Open on Monday ... and says she's got more tributes planned.

The 22-year-old has been very outspoken about social justice issues lately -- and even "boycotted" a match at a different tournament last week in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting.

So, when she arrived at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, she rocked the Breonna mask to help "spread awareness" about the Taylor case.

"I'm aware that tennis is watched all over the world, and maybe there is someone that doesn't know Breonna Taylor's story," Osaka said.

"Maybe they'll like Google it or something. For me, just spreading awareness. I feel like the more people know the story, then the more interesting or interested they'll become in it."

26-year-old Taylor was shot and killed at her apartment back in March when Louisville cops executed a no-knock warrant. Her boyfriend says he fired a warning shot because he thought the officers were intruders but they returned fire, striking Taylor 8 times.

After Osaka won her opening match Monday against Misaki Doi, she said she has 6 more masks she plans on wearing throughout the tournament to honor other victims of police brutality.

"It's quite sad that seven masks isn't enough for the amount of names, so hopefully I'll get to the finals and you can see all of them."

Osaka is expected to return to the court Wednesday to take on Camila Giorgi.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka has reversed course -- and WILL resume playing a major tournament on Friday after initially opting out in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting.

Earlier this week, the 22-year-old champ announced she would no longer participate in the Western & Southern Open semi-finals match, scheduled for Thursday.

At the time, Osaka explained ... "Before I am an athlete, I am a black woman. And, as a black woman, I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis."

"I don't expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction."

After her statement, Osaka says she spoke with reps for the WTA and USTA -- and has decided to resume playing,

"As you know, I pulled out of the tournament yesterday in support of racial injustice and continued police violence," Osaka said in a statement Thursday.

"I was (and am) ready and prepared to concede the match to my opponent. However, after my announcement and lengthy consultation with the WTA and USTA, I have agreed at their request to play on Friday."

"They offered to postpone all matches until Friday and in my mind that brings more attention to the movement."

YO, THIS IS AWESOME!!

Remember those two girls who went viral for playing rooftop tennis at their apartment buildings in Italy back in April?!

Roger Federer just surprised 'em for a special rooftop match -- and the video rules!

Yeah, it's a cheap publicity stunt for a pasta company -- but you can't fake the excitement the girls had when their tennis hero showed up out of nowhere!!

BACKSTORY -- During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, 13-year-old Vittoria and 11-year-old Carola went SUPER VIRAL for their rooftop match, which took place on top of two buildings in Liguria, Italy.

The video was shared all over the world -- with people giving 'em huge props for finding a way to play even though courts were closed.

Fast forward to July ... the girls were told they were going to be interviewed by the news media about their viral moment -- not knowing Roger Federer was secretly waiting behind the scenes!

During the interview, both girls praised Roger as their favorite player -- with Vittoria saying, "If I were to meet him, I would jump on him or I would be starstruck!

That's when the current #4-ranked player in the world appeared out of nowhere -- AND THE LOOK ON THE GIRLS' FACES IS PRICELESS!!!

"We cannot believe it, Federer is on our rooftop!!!"

The moment was awesome -- they took selfies, they chatted ... and then they played rooftop tennis!!!

Federer and the girls successfully volleyed for a bit ... but naturally, some shots came up short and became a hazard down below.

No one cared about that though -- the lost balls are probably collector's items now!

The whole surprise was coordinated by the Barilla pasta company --which explains why everyone scarfed down noodles after the match!

Federer also hooked up his new friends with another incredible experience -- 2 entries to Rafael Nadal's tennis camp!!

The U.S. Open has a 'Rona problem and a Drone-a problem -- meaning there's concern about unmannned aircrafts infiltrating the tennis tournament ... and the NYPD is on the case.

With the U.S. Open set to go down in New York on Aug. 31, organizers have already said no fans will be allowed to attend the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources tell TMZ Sports ... law enforcement is now anticipating an uptick in drone activity around Flushing Meadows from both journalists and fans trying to get a bird's-eye shot of the action.

We're told ... there are concerns about athlete safety and also the possibility of drones creating distractions during tournament play that could affect the event.

The NYPD tells us they will "have a counter-drone team" at the event to keep watch for anyone who violates drone laws.

"Drones are illegal over New York City and anyone using one needs to basically have a pilot's license and a flight plan," an NYPD spokesperson tells TMZ Sports.

So, how will cops catch the drone violators? We're told the NYPD will use sensors that can detect signals from drones and the handheld devices that control them.

If caught, illegal drone operators could face stiff penalties -- especially if an out-of-control drone strikes a person.

Ash Barty -- the #1 ranked female tennis player in the world -- is opting out of the U.S. Open ... saying it's just too risky to play.

The 24-year-old Australian says she loves the annual tournament -- set to begin in New York on August 31 -- but she doesn't feel comfortable bringing her team into a danger zone while the pandemic is still raging in the U.S.

"My team and I have decided that we won't be travelling to the ... Western & Southern Open and the U.S. Open this year," Barty said.

"I love both events so this was a difficult decision, but there are still significant risks involved due to COVID-19 and I don't feel comfortable putting my team and I in that position."

She added, "I wish the USTA all the best for the tournaments and I look forward to being back in the U.S. next year."

Australia has closed its international borders -- which would make overseas travel difficult for Barty anyway.

NOVAK?! HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?!!

Despite being at the center of a massive COVID-19 exposure, tennis superstar Novak Djokovic is still refusing to wear a mask!

The 33-year-old Serbian was spotted out Wednesday in Marbella, Spain -- a super popular vacation spot -- hanging out with a bunch of people.

No one in Novak's group appeared to be wearing a face-covering or seemed to make an effort to social distance.

Of course, Spain was hit particularly hard by the coronavirus -- with over 28,000 reported deaths -- but the popular beach areas finally began opening up earlier this month.

In fact, there are 3,000 "beach wardens" patrolling the sand to enforce safety protocols -- including mask-wearing.

There are stiff penalties for non-compliance -- including a $110 fine if caught maskless.

Obviously, Novak can afford a measly fine -- you'd think he'd want to avoid the public shaming (AGAIN) after throwing that COVID-infested tennis tournament last month.

As we previously reported, Novak blew off social distancing advice and hosted a tennis tournament in Croatia -- and shocker -- a bunch of people tested positive!

Both Novak and his wife contracted the virus -- and while they eventually recovered, you'd think they'd start taking safety measures more seriously.