Tennis

Nick Kyrgios -- one of the biggest stars in men's pro tennis -- is pulling out of the Olympics ... saying the big decision is, in part, due to Japan officials barring spectators from the event.

The 26-year-old Australian made the announcement Thursday evening ... just hours after Olympic officials said no fans would be allowed to watch the Games in-person this summer due to a spike in coronavirus cases in the area.

"It's a decision I didn't make lightly," Kyrgios said. "It's been my dream to represent Australia at the Olympics and I know I may never get that opportunity again."

"But I also know myself," Kyrgios added. "The thought of playing in front of empty stadiums just doesn't sit right with me. It never has."

Kyrgios -- who was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon earlier this month due to an abdominal injury -- also said his health played a role in his decision too.

"I also wouldn't want to take an opportunity away from a healthy Aussie athlete ready to represent the country," Kyrgios said.

"I will also take all the time I need to get my body right. Good luck to all the Aussies competing and I'll see you back on the court real soon."

Serena Williams will not add another Wimbledon trophy to her collection this year ... she just withdrew from the tournament due to a leg injury -- and her exit was VERY emotional.

Williams was competing in her first-round match in London against Aliaksandra Sasnovich ... but at one point during the contest, she slipped and injured her leg.

Serena got it all checked out by trainers ... and tried to continue -- but the injury became too much, and she eventually crumpled to the grass in extreme pain.

Williams didn't try to compete after that ... she pulled herself from the event -- and broke down in tears while doing so.

The crowd in attendance made it known they appreciated her effort -- giving her a standing ovation -- and before Williams left for the locker room area, she waved to everybody.

39-year-old Williams doesn't withdraw from Grand Slams due to injury much ... in fact, this is only the second time it's EVER happened to her (she had to withdraw from Wimbledon in 1998).

Serena currently holds 23 major titles, just one shy of the record 24 mark set by Margaret Court.

Get well soon!

Serena Williams will not be Tokyo-bound this Summer ... because she just said she's not heading to the Olympics.

It's a big blow for the games losing that kind of star power -- Serena snagged 4 gold medals in prior years, most recently in 2012.

She said Sunday at Wimbledon, "I'm actually not on the Olympic list, not that I'm aware of," adding, "If so, then I shouldn't be on it."

If that sounds a little vague, Serena cleared it up with this ... "There's a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision. I don't really want to. I don't feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry."

Still not enough? Well, she ended with this ... "I have not thought about it. In the past [the Olympics] has been a wonderful place for me. I really haven't thought about it, so I'm going to keep not thinking about it."

As for her Olympic hardware, in the 2000 games in Sydney she beat Maria Sharapova in singles and won doubles as well, in 2008 she won in Beijing and 2012 won doubles with her sister, Venus.

As for the present ... Serena's eying her 8th win at Wimbledon. She's up against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus Tuesday.

Arthroscopic surgery can't stop Genie Bouchard from having a super cute playdate with her NFL boyfriend, Mason Rudolph ... with the star couple hitting the beach in Miami on Friday!!

The 27-year-old tennis pro revealed she went under the knife earlier this month to fix a torn subscapularis ... and has been on the road to recovery ever since.

Part of that rehab?? Catching some rays with her 25-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers QB boo for a bit to kick off the weekend -- but don't worry, it looks like Genie switched to a waterproof sling before hopping in the water!!

As we previously reported, GB and MR went "Instagram official" back on Valentine's Day earlier this year ... after they started dating back in fall 2020.

They've been on a hot streak ever since ... and Friday was no different -- Rudolph appeared to help apply sunscreen on Genie's face and make sure she kept her balance while getting hit with waves.

Genie -- sporting a white bikini -- looks to be in great shape as she's on the mend ... and Rudolph showed off his quarterback bod while rocking some blue trunks.

Moments after Naomi Osaka announced she was withdrawing from Wimbledon to focus on "personal time" ... the tennis superstar was already making good on her word, hitting up a fancy L.A. grocery store with a friend.

Osaka -- sporting a COVID mask -- hit up Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market, Bistro & Seafood Market.

So, no on French Open ... but yes on French food!

On her way out, Osaka was asked about her decision to take time away from pro tennis to focus on her mental health ... but the 23-year-old wasn't talking.

After all, her team already put out a statement explaining her position -- saying, "Naomi won't be playing Wimbledon this year. She is taking some personal time with friends and family."

"She will be ready for the Olympics and is excited to play in front of her home fans."

In the meantime, Osaka seemed relaxed ... sporting a vintage "Mulan" t-shirt and driving off in her baby blue Ford Bronco.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka is pulling out of another Grand Slam ... the #2-ranked player in the world has withdrawn from Wimbledon to spend time with loved ones ahead of the Olympics.

This is the second major tournament 23-year-old Osaka has decided to skip -- she withdrew from the French Open before the second round last month due to her opposition to mandatory media availability.

Now, Osaka will not be making the trip to London, with her agent releasing a statement Thursday.

"Naomi won't be playing Wimbledon this year," the rep said. "She is taking some personal time with friends and family."

It's unclear if Osaka's war with the reporters played a factor -- the All England Club reportedly reached out to the superstar to have a discussion about handling media ops ahead of the tournament.

As we previously reported, Osaka opened up on her battle with depression and social anxiety following her 2018 U.S. Open win ... saying she's struggled with coping with the spotlight.

Osaka has consistently said she has no issue with the journalists who have treated her fairly ... and has apologized to those affected by her decision to avoid talking.

It looks like tennis genes weren’t the only things Serena Williams passed down to her daughter Alexis Olympia ... the mini-Serena also clearly got her mom’s sense of style too!!!

Olympia -- who was on the court Thursday for tennis practice -- rocked the kid’s version of the 1-legged pink, red and black catsuit Serena wore at February's Australian Open ... and it's freakin' adorable!!

Serena's hubby, Alexis Ohanian, posted the photos onto the tot’s social media account, and it got tons of love -- 'cause look how stinkin' cute it is!

But, Serena wasn't exactly happy with it ... in fact, she seemed downright jealous -- explaining in the comment section that she wanted to be there in person to see the fit!

"Awwwww mannnnnn I asked you to save this post until I was next to her side by side in my same outfit," the 39-year-old tennis G.O.A.T. said to her husband.

"Oophhh I guess I’ll have to pull the plug from your phone tonight. And you wake up wondering why you have no battery. LOL."

While Olympia wore it as a tribute to her mother, Serena actually originally wore it as a tribute to another sports legend -- track star Florence Griffith Joyner.

Serena explained her choice to wear the outfit back in February in Australia, saying, "I was inspired by Flo-Jo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up."

Florence, or Flo-Jo as she became famously known, was one of the greatest sprinters of all time ... winning 3 gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

"You making the millions, you're doing the media."

That's Marcellus Wiley telling TMZ Sports ... Naomi Osaka should NOT get a pass from speaking with reporters after matches -- even if she's claiming it's for mental health reasons.

The former NFL star says the tennis player straight-up just HAS to do the post-match sessions ... explaining the interviews are one of the biggest reasons for the sport's popularity.

"How do they think that this sport is driven?" Wiley said. "Just because people show up and pay for cotton candy? That's not it!"

"It's all of the investment that goes into the sport and participation."

In other words, the host of FS1's "Speak for Yourself" says Osaka's boycott could cost the sport fans' interest ... and in turn, take money out of players' pockets.

As for the mental health argument ... Wiley admits it's important for Osaka to deal with that aspect of her life -- but he claims she should still have to do media regardless.

"Handle your mental health -- you!" Wiley tells us. "And, then show up when you're ready and don't burn down the house."

As we previously reported, Osaka had initially planned to do no press conferences at the French Open ... saying it was all in an effort to improve her mental health.

This is Yana Sizikova ... the pro tennis player suspected of taking BRIBES in a match-fixing scheme at the 2020 French Open.

... and now she's behind bars.

The 26-year-old Russian player -- currently ranked #765 in the world by the WTA -- was taken into custody in Paris on Thursday evening, officials confirm.

Sizikova was in France competing in the 2021 French Open -- and had lost in a doubles match earlier in the day.

Now, prosecutors say she's facing charges of "sports bribery and organized fraud for acts likely to have been committed in Sept. 2020."

Here's the deal ... Sizikova -- who's ranked #101 as a doubles player -- was involved in a doubles match at the 2020 French Open that was flagged after bookmakers noticed unusual bets being made.

Officials say hundreds of thousands of euros were wagered on the match -- and then noticed Sizikova was playing unusually bad.

After an investigation, prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to prove Sizikova was tanking on purpose as part of a match-fixing scheme.

So far, no official comment from Sizikova -- who is reportedly still in custody.

Naomi Osaka's decided to withdraw from the French Open and "take some time away from the court" rather than continue to be a distraction for her stance against speaking to the press ... the star tennis player just announced herself.

Naomi says she never intended to ignite a controversy when she cited mental health for skipping media conferences a few days ago, but she believes the best thing for her to do now is quit the tourney so "everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris."

Osaka goes on to explain that she's introverted and suffers from social anxiety, and reveals suffering from "long bouts of depression" since the 2018 U.S. Open and says she has struggled with coping.

Essentially, she's implying that her personal mental health struggles were her reason for skipping press conferences this tourney ... but she acknowledges her announcement created a distraction and will be better left addressing later on.

For that reason, Naomi says she's stepping away from tennis for now but when the timing is better ... she wants to "work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans."

As we reported ... Osaka was fined $15k after her opening-round win for her no-show at the post-match presser, and was at risk of more fines or even disqualification if she kept it up.

In her withdrawal announcement, Naomi also makes it clear she has no beef with the tennis press that has "always been kind to me" ... and apologizes to any journalists she may have hurt.

Naomi Osaka doesn't seem to be sweating a hefty fine she's been issued after following through on her promise to skip the media after her matches at the French Open.

The star tennis player took to Twitter Sunday in response to news that FO officials had dinged her a whopping $15,000 for refusing to hit a post-match press conference after her opening-round win against Patricia Maria Tig ... which is standard practice.

She kept it brief and somewhat cryptic, writing ... "anger is a lack of understanding. change makes people uncomfortable." In our minds, that means she ain't gonna bend.

That's quite a gamble for Naomi ... because organizers of the tourney say if she continues to blow off questions after playing, she risks even more fines ... and, eventually, potentially being disqualified from the French Open altogether. Not just that, but she could even be suspended from future Grand Slam tournaments -- so there's a lot riding on this decision.

As we reported ... Naomi had already given everyone a heads up ahead of the start of this that she wouldn't be participating in any media events, citing mental health concerns.

Some have praised Naomi for standing firm on this issue and speaking out on behalf of pro athletes' well-being, noting that if this is really about the sport (in this case, tennis) ... then what difference does it make if they don't talk to reporters after the fact???

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka says she's taking a break from speaking to reporters at the French Open ... saying it's time for the media to focus on the mental well-being of athletes.

The 23-year-old, #2-ranked player in the world penned an emotional letter explaining her decision to go silent on Wednesday ... saying, "I've often felt that people have no regard for athletes' mental health and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one."

"We're often sat there and asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I'm just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me."

She added ... "I've watched many clips of athletes breaking down after a loss in the press room and I know you have as well. I believe that whole situation is kicking a person while they're down and I don't understand the reasoning behind it."

Osaka says the decision is nothing against Roland-Garros or the journalists she's gotten to know over the years ... but it's a stance she's willing to take, even if she's punished.

"However, if the organizations think that they can just keep saying, 'do press or you're gonna be fined,' and continue to ignore the mental health of the athletes that are the centerpiece of their cooperation then I just gotta laugh."

Osaka says if she IS fined for skipping media availability, she hopes the money will go towards a mental health charity.

The French Open kicks off on Sunday.

Novak Djokovic lost his cool on the court in a BIG way Tuesday ... going off on an umpire in an epic meltdown -- and the entire tantrum was captured on video.

It all went down at the Italian Open in Rome, when Djokovic got upset with an umpire for letting his match with Taylor Fritz go on despite heavy rain.

In video from the court, Djokovic can be heard exploding on the ump ... "How much more do you want to play?!"

Novak was fuming over the clay court's conditions under the falling rain ... and when the ump responded, "I want to check the court," Djokovic continued to yell.

"I asked you three times!" the world's #1-ranked tennis player said. "You're not checking anything!"

The two exchanged more words ... before Djokovic ultimately walked off the court and sought cover in the tunnel area.

The match was eventually suspended due to the weather a few minutes later.

Of course, this is far from Djokovic's first outburst on the court ... just three months ago at the Australian Open, he demolished his racket after botching a play.

And, just a few months before that, he was DQ'ed from the U.S. Open for angrily hitting a ball that struck a lineswoman in the head.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka just launched her very own signature swimwear line ... and who better than Naomi Osaka to model the bikinis!!

The 23-year-old announced her collaboration with Frankies Bikinis on Wednesday ... adding to her long list of partnerships in the fashion industry.

The line is called the Frankies Bikinis x Naomi Osaka collection ... and features a number of one-piece and bikinis in fun colors ranging from $80 to $190.

FB founder Francesca Aiello spoke about the decision to work with the young star ... saying it was an easy choice.

"To state the obvious, Naomi is extremely creative and has an amazing sense of style that she has made her own," she told Nylon.

"Beyond her style, I also really respect her as a person. I admire the way she uses her platform to inspire, educate, and spread awareness about social happenings."

Aiello added ... "She represents a strong female who is living out her dream and inspiring others to follow theirs, and she is genuinely just an amazing person all around."

Aiello said Osaka was heavily involved in the design process ... and wanted to incorporate her own "sporty yet feminine style" on and off the court.

On top of the bikini line, Osaka has worked with big-name companies like Nike, ADEAM, Louis Vuitton and Levi's.

Naomi's friends have shown love following the big announcement ... including Venus Williams, who said, "Did it on em! ❤🔥"

Osaka's boyfriend, rapper Cordae, added "🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥"

Serena Williams just found something new to dominate ... 'cause the tennis legend just signed a first-look TV deal with Amazon!!

39-year-old Williams announced the big move on Tuesday ... saying she's pumped to put new and inspiring stories onto the screen -- including her own, via a new docuseries following her life on and off the court.

"I’m very excited to be partnering with Amazon Studios – they are developing some of the most inspiring and important content for a global audience," Williams said.

The deal includes scripted and unscripted content ... which will all be made available via Amazon.

"I have a lot of stories I’m eager to tell, including a continuation of my own, and I look forward to sharing those with the world."

Williams' docuseries -- title TBD -- will be produced by Plum Pictures, Goalhanger Films and Amazon Studios. Williams will also serve as executive producer on the project.

Of course, Williams is one of the best tennis players EVER -- she's won 23 Grand Slams, 73 championships and has won nearly $95 million in prize money throughout her career.

So yeah, Amazon is stoked to have her on board.

As Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke put it ... "Serena has transformed her sport and become one of the most inspiring athletes, entrepreneurs and women of her generation, admired not only for her unmatched prowess on the court but for her dedication to advocacy as well."

Jack Draper -- a 19-year-old making his debut on the ATP Tour this week -- frighteningly collapsed on the court during a match at the Miami Open on Thursday ... but thankfully, he said afterward he's all right.

The scary scene all went down during Draper's match against Mikhail Kukushkin ... when Draper began to feel ill amid scorching Florida hot and humid weather.

At one point during the match, medics ran courtside tests on a visibly exhausted Draper ... but the young, budding tennis star elected to continue despite clearly being unwell.

Just a few moments later in the match, though ... he crumpled to the ground attempting to hit a ball -- and there was serious concern among onlookers.

"Oh, dear, that's not good," one of the match's announcers said on the television broadcast. "Worrying times."

Thankfully, medics rushed to Draper's aid ... and the tennis player ended up being able to walk off under his own power -- though he did have to withdraw from the contest.

"At the changeover, I was starting to feel my body a bit," Draper told reporters after the match.

"I said that I'm going to carry on because I wasn't feeling faint ... but obviously when I got out there, that wasn't the case."