Tennis

A tennis fan, like a lottery ticket landing in her lap, caught Novak Djokovic's French Open final-winning racket after an epic match with Andy Murray in 2016 ... and now the piece of tennis history is up for auction!

The backstory is awesome -- Abby Doherty, a college student in 2016, traveled to Paris with her family to watch the famed French Open at Roland-Garros ... where she witnessed several matches, including the much-awaited tourney final between top-seeded Djokovic and 2nd-seeded Murray. Two all-time players.

Novak dropped the opening set of the June match, 3-6, before ticking off three sets in a row (6-1, 6-2, 6-4), and securing another F.O. title.

Djokovich was over the moon ... and after a bunch of celebrating (and a moment of good sportsmanship with Murray), the tennis legend used his Head racket to draw a heart in the famous clay court.

Then, Novak launched the Head racket into the crowd ... right where Abby was seated. She stuck her hand out, and boom -- snatched it out of the air!

Her dad almost immediately took a photo of his daughter, who was beaming.

That same Head Speed Graphene Touch PT113B racket, which has been photo-matched by experts to the French Open final (and several other French Open matches, including the Semifinals), is now available at SCP Auctions ... and their experts believe it could sell in excess of $100 grand!

The 27-inch long racket features Novak's custom double-wrapped, calfskin leather grip ... and shows signs of wear and tear from the match with Murray.

The win also marked a "calendar year" Grand Slam for N.D. ... meaning he won all 4 Major events (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) within a 365-day period.

With 24 Major titles (including 3 French Open wins), Djokovic is widely considered the greatest tennis player of all time. Rafael Nadal has 22, followed by Roger Federer at 20, and Pete Sampras with 14.

Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, are getting into the holiday spirit with a little local theater -- showing face in a ballet play ... one that their daughter is in too.

TMZ has obtained photos of the couple onstage Sunday during a production of "The Nutcracker" -- which was being put on by a ballet school near Palm Beach Gardens, FL ... where this play was going down at a local venue, with the little ones taking the lead.

Eyewitnesses tell us some adults made appearances as well ... including Serena and Alexis, whom we're told played guests at a party during one scene. They were definitely in character.

You can see Mama and Papa Bear dressed in full costumes as they acted out their parts -- this while the other kid actors/performers stood around and welcomed them onstage. It looks like a fancy pretend get-together, 'cause SW did a sweet little curtsy next to her hubby.

This Sunday matinee wasn't the only performance they did BTW -- we're told they did their thing for Saturday's show as well. Super cute obviously, and it just goes to show ... Serena and Alexis are very involved in their children's lives.

As you know ... Serena and Alexis got hitched in 2017 a couple months after they had their first daughter -- who's about 6 years old or so right now, and who was in this play.

Tennis star Andrey Rublev is going to need some bandages for his knee for the next few days ... 'cause he bloodied himself during a wild temper tantrum in a match on Wednesday.

Rublev's explosion happened while he was going up against Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Finals in Italy.

Rublev had been trying to go toe-to-toe with the tennis superstar ... but when Alcaraz got the better of him one too many times, Rublev snapped.

Check out video from the court ... the 26-year-old smashed his racket into his knee six straight times -- opening up a gash that required medical attention.

He was ultimately able to finish the match ... though he fell to Alcaraz, 7-5, 6-2.

Afterward, Rublev told reporters his knee was OK ... adding, "I get disappointed and couldn’t manage."

La estrella del tenis Andrey Rublev va a necesitar vendas para su rodilla durante los próximos días, porque tuvo una rabieta tan grande el miércoles que quedó sangrando.

La explosión de ira de Rublev se produjo mientras se enfrentaba a Carlos Alcaraz en las Finales del ATP de Italia.

Rublev había estado tratando de ir mano a mano con la superestrella del tenis, pero cuando el español volvió a sacar lo mejor de él, Rublev estalló.

El jugador de 26 años se golpeó la rodilla con la raqueta seis veces seguidas, abriéndose una herida que requirió atención médica.

Al final pudo terminar el partido, aunque terminó cayendo ante Alcaraz por 7-5 y 6-2.

Después le dijo a los periodistas que su rodilla estaba bien y añadió: "Sentí desilusión y no pude manejarlo".

Martina Navratilova was clearly furious with an interview Interior Secretary Deb Haaland did with a drag queen earlier this week ... panning it as a "pathetic parody of women."

Haaland's video with Pattie Gonia -- an environmentalist who's described herself as a "professional homosexual" in the past -- was posted to the politician's X page on Monday in order to celebrate LGBT History Month.

In the clip, Haaland can be seen talking with Gonia outside of the Stonewall National Monument in New York City in an effort to highlight its importance to American history.

Navratilova, however, was obviously not a fan of the content ... going after it with a scathing tweet on Tuesday.

"Is this a joke?" the 66-year-old tennis legend wrote. "The pathetic parody of women continues."

When one fan responded, "Butch lesbians always faced the same derision. 'Not really a woman.' We should all embrace each other. And this is a drag queen, not a trans person. They're certainly not trying to pass for female!" -- Navratilova immediately fired back with another tweet.

"And how exactly are we supposed to know the difference?" she wrote. "And please do not compare males to butch females. Thank you."

Navratilova -- who is openly gay -- did not expound on her issue with the video further.

Coco Gauff isn't old enough to drink just yet, but her coach was able to down enough booze for the both of them after her huge US Open win last weekend ... with Brad Gilbert telling TMZ Sports he celebrated with "a little too much tequila."

The 19-year-old tennis superstar has a lot to celebrate after beating Aryna Sabalenka last Saturday ... becoming the youngest American woman to win the tournament since Serena Williams did at age 17 in 1999.

Gilbert -- who has coached big names like Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick -- raved about Coco's success at LAX earlier this week ... saying, "It was a great summer, an amazing summer."

"Coco is an incredible kid, she's humble, she's hard-working and her journey is just beginning."

Gilbert said Coco knows what it takes to continue going in the right direction ... adding, "She would tell you, it's just about getting better. Listen, everyone wants to do incredible things but she has a great opportunity in front of her to continue to do some great things."

"She's incredibly humble and she's poised, she speaks incredible for her age and her parents have done an amazing job. She's got a great team and just fun to let me be a part of it."

As for the post-match festivities, Gilbert said the law still applies for champions ... so Coco was downin' H2O while the adults let loose a bit.

Despite being turned away from multiple major tournaments over his refusal to get the COVID vaccine, Novak Djokovic is insisting he's not an anti-vaxxer.

The tennis superstar -- who just secured his 24th major championship with a victory at this month's U.S. Open -- broke the whole situation down for John McEnroe during a recent interview for Omaha Productions' "McEnroe's Places."

Djokovic told the tennis legend on the show that his gripe with the COVID vaccine situation was not necessarily whether it was effective or anything like that ... but rather, the way he perceived it was being forced onto people.

"I was never anti-vax," Djokovic said. "I was always pro-freedom-to-choose. And that's something that we took really for granted. I didn't feel like a lot of people had a choice, really."

Djokovic told McEnroe that at the height of the vaccine mandates and vax passports -- he felt like he was "a villain of the world."

"I just wanted to compete," he said, "and I wanted to play tennis because that's what I do best."

While still apparently unvaccinated from COVID, Joker's seemingly put the whole issue behind him ... he's dominated 2023 so far as vax mandates have eased, reclaiming his spot as the No. 1-ranked men's tennis player in the world.

In fact, just a few days ago, Barack and Michelle Obama -- two of the biggest proponents of COVID vaccines -- watched him courtside at the US Open ... and cheered him on.

A pesar de haber sido rechazado en varios torneos importantes por su negativa a vacunarse contra el COVID, Novak Djokovic insiste en que no es un antivacunas.

La superestrella del tenis, que acaba de conseguir su 24º gran campeonato con una victoria en el US Open este mes, explicó todo el asunto a John McEnroe durante una entrevista reciente para "McEnroe's Places", de Omaha Productions.

Djokovic le dijo al legendario tenista en el programa que su queja con la vacuna COVID no se relacionaba con si esta era eficaz o algo por el estilo, sino más bien con la forma en que se le estaba imponiendo a la gente, según él percibía.

"Nunca he sido antivacunas", dijo Djokovic. "Siempre he estado a favor de la libertad de elección. Y eso es algo que dimos por sentado. A mí no me pareció que mucha gente tuviera la posibilidad de elegir en realidad"

Djokovic le dijo a McEnroe que en el momento álgido de los mandatos y pasaportes de vacunación, se sintió como "un villano del mundo".

"Sólo quería competir", dijo, "y quería jugar tenis porque es lo que mejor se me da".

Aunque aparentemente sigue sin vacunarse contra el COVID, parece que Joker ha dejado todo el asunto atrás. El tenista ha dominado 2023 con su juego, ahora que los mandatos han disminuido, recuperando su puesto como tenista masculino número 1 del mundo.

De hecho, hace tan solo unos días, Barack y Michelle Obama -dos de los mayores defensores de las vacunas COVID- lo vieron en la cancha del US Open y lo animaron.

Coco Gauff es la nueva campeona del US Open y todavía tiene una enorme sonrisa luego de ganar el torneo. Sin embargo, no va a celebrar con una gran fiesta, sólo quiere dormir largo y tendido.

La profesional de 19 años parecía estar de buen humor el lunes, saliendo de su habitación de hotel de Nueva York pocos días después de ganar el oro en el gran evento de este año. Coco se detuvo para tomarse una foto con un fan mientras subía a un carro con un peluche de Miles Morales en la mano.

Por supuesto, a Coco le preguntaron por sus planes para después de ganar, pero lo único que tenía en mente era volver a casa y meterse en la cama para dormir un poco. Parece una idea perfecta.

Coco ha estado en la cancha de tenis durante años y se convirtió en profesional en 2018. Es la número 3 del mundo en tenis individual y la número 1 en dobles; en otras palabras, la gran victoria de este fin de semana se hizo esperar para la adolescente.

Como informamos, Coco tuvo su partido de semifinales retrasado por un manifestante que pegó sus pies descalzos al suelo de hormigón del estadio. Tomó cerca de 49 minutos para que Coco pudiera continuar su partido.

Incluso contó con el apoyo de Justin y Hailey Bieber en la tercera ronda, quienes la animaban desde sus palcos. Después del partido Coco declaró a un periodista de ESPN: "Vi quién estaba allí y pensé: "No puedo perder delante de Justin Bieber'".

US Open champ Coco Gauff still has a massive grin on her face after winning the big tourney, but she won't be celebrating with a huge bash ... just a bunch of zzzz's.

The 19-year-old pro seemed to be in a great mood Monday, stepping out of her NYC hotel room just days after striking gold at this year's big event. Coco stopped to snap a pic with a fan while jumping in a waiting car with a Miles Morales plush in her hand.

Of course, Coco was asked about her post-win plans, but the only thing on her mind is heading home and climbing in bed for some sleep ... sounds like a perfect idea.

Coco's been on the tennis court for years and turned pro back in 2018. She's ranked number 3 in the world in singles tennis and number 1 in doubles -- in other words, this weekend's big win was a long time coming for the teenager.

As we reported, Coco had her semifinal match delayed by a protestor who glued his bare feet to the concrete floor of the stadium ... taking about 49 minutes of attention to remove him before Coco could continue her match.

She even had some serious support from Justin and Hailey Bieber in the 3rd round, who were cheering her on from their box seats. After that match, Coco told an ESPN reporter, "I definitely saw who was there. I thought, 'I cannot lose in front of Justin Bieber.'"

Hollywood's heavy hitters descended on New York City for the men's tennis final between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev at the US Open Sunday ... but there were two locking lips.

The slew of A-listers -- Leonardo DiCaprio, Kylie Jenner, Timothée Chalamet and Nicole Kidman among them -- crammed into their box seats to watch Djokovic beat Medvedev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 on center court at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens.

Speaking of whom, Kylie and Timothée couldn't keep their hands off each other -- or their lips apart -- as they were photographed kissing throughout the match.

The lovebirds made their romance official at Beyoncé's concert in Los Angeles last week. TMZ obtained video of Kylie and Timothée smooching all night with their arms wrapped around each other.

Coupled with the US Open, their relationship appears to be going full steam ahead.

Other bold-faced names included Nicole's hubby, Keith Urban, Matthew McConaughey, Jake Paul, Eva Longoria, Jon Hamm, Jerry Seinfeld and Martha Stewart -- but Kylie and her new beau, Timothée, grabbed most of the spotlight.

Enjoy, kiddos!!

Do you think Kylie and Timothée are the real deal? Vote below.

Los mejores actores de Hollywood invadieron la ciudad de Nueva York para ver la final de tenis masculino entre Novak Djokovic y Daniil Medvedev en el US Open este domingo... pero hubieron dos asistentes que estuvieron haciendo algo más que eso.

La multitud de estrellas -Leonardo DiCaprio, Kylie Jenner, Timothée Chalamet y Nicole Kidman, entre otros- se agolparon en sus asientos para ver a Djokovic vencer a Medvedev por 6-3, 7-6 y 6-3 en la pista central del estadio Arthur Ashe de Queens.

Y hablando de ellos, Kylie y Timothée no pudieron quitarse las manos de encima, ni separar sus labios, ya que fueron fotografiados besándose durante todo el partido.

Los tortolitos hicieron oficial su romance en el concierto de Beyoncé en Los Ángeles la semana pasada. TMZ obtuvo un video de Kylie y Timothée besándose toda la noche.

Con motivo del US Open, su relación parece ir viento en popa y a toda vela.

Otras celebridades en la final incluyeron al marido de Nicole, Keith Urban, Matthew McConaughey, Jake Paul, Eva Longoria, Jon Hamm, Jerry Seinfeld y Martha Stewart -pero Kylie y su nuevo novio, Timothée, acapararon la mayor parte de la atención.

Novak Djokovic was one happy camper Friday night ... not only did he advance to the finals of the US Open, but he got a surprise visit from Tom Brady.

The tennis great and NFL legend came face to face in a locker room at New York's Flushing Meadows Corona Park after Djokovic beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 in their semifinal match.

Brady showed up to congratulate Djokovic on his victory, propelling him into the finals against Daniil Medvedev. The retired quarterback even brought along his 3 kiddos -- Jack, Benjamin and Vivian -- to meet the world's No. 2 ranked tennis player.

Check out this video posted to X ... Brady and Djokovic shake hands and embrace, both men smiling.

Brady then offers Djokovic some encouragement, "Keep kicking ass, as always." Djokovic replies, "Trying, trying."

One by one, Brady introduces his children to Djokovic before admitting he unfortunately missed Novak's semifinal match.

A protester glued his bare feet to the concrete in the stands of the US Open on Thursday night ... and it caused such a commotion, it delayed Coco Gauff's huge semifinal match for nearly an hour.

The bizarre scene unfolded just minutes into Gauff's tilt with Karolina Muchova at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York ... when a quartet of environmental activists created a massive ruckus in the crowd.

The four, wearing tees with the words "End Fossil Fuels" printed on them, began chanting, leading authorities to quickly spring into action.

Three of the four were taken into custody after just a few moments without issue ... but the fourth required about 49 minutes of attention to remove due to the glue at the bottom of his feet.

Fortunately, officials were able to eventually extricate the man ... and play resumed.

Gauff ended up shaking off the delay no problem ... beating Muchova to advance to the tournament's final. She'll meet Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday to play for the championship.

The protest, of course, was hardly the first one major tennis has seen this year ... back in July, several people rushed the court at Wimbledon, hurling confetti all over the place.

A US Open fan was booted from his seat early Tuesday morning ... after tennis star Alexander Zverev insisted the guy screamed "the most famous Hitler phrase there is" right in the middle of a match.

The incident happened during Zverev's grueling clash with Jannik Sinner at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York ... when just before Zverev went to serve, a fan allegedly yelled out, "Deutschland über alles" -- words associated with Hitler's Nazi regime.

Immediately after the patron had finished shouting, Zverev turned to the chair ump and told him the comment was "unacceptable."

"This is unbelievable," he added.

The US Open official then turned toward the crowd and demanded to know who yelled the remark. Several moments later, the alleged shouter was ID'ed and ejected from the venue.

"A disparaging remark was directed toward Alexander Zverev," a United States Tennis Association spokesman said in a statement following the incident. "The fan was identified and escorted from the stadium."

Zverev would go on to win the match despite the scene ... and afterward, he expressed his disappointment over the whole interaction.

The Biebers served up some major star power at the US Open Friday night … prompting a shoutout from tennis great Coco Gauff -- and paving her way to victory.

Justin and Hailey were kicking back in their box seats at Arthur Ashe Stadium, watching Coco battle Elise Mertens in the third round of the women's grand slam tournament.

Hailey looked like her beautiful self in a trendy leather coat … but Justin stole the show with his funky pink glasses and polka-dot black cap turned back around.

The couple was clearly there to support Coco, jumping to their feet and cheering whenever she won points at critical stages in the match.

Coco went on to beat Mertens in three sets -- 3-6 6-3 6-0.

The 19-year-old phenom gave the Biebers credit for inspiring her to win by their very presence after she dropped the first set.

Coco told an ESPN reporter, "I definitely saw who was there. I thought, 'I cannot lose in front of Justin Bieber.' I didn't lose a game after I saw that."

She added, "I was definitely starstruck with Justin Bieber. And then Hailey coming, too. I guess it was a little date night for them which is really cool.