Tennis

No more fans at the Australian Open ... at least for the next week.

With the number of COVID cases in the Australian state of Victoria rising to 19 -- officials decided it was best to go back into a state-wide lockdown.

Officials declared the state would return to Stage 4 restrictions on Friday -- which means Victoria will effectively be in a state of lockdown for at least 5 days in the hopes of stopping a possible spread of the virus.

As soon as the announcement was made, tournament officials began asking fans to leave the tennis courts, ASAP.

Roughly 6 million people live in Victoria -- and now they will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential activities like shopping for food, work, medical treatment, etc.

The Australian Open tournament director, Craig Tiley, said the event will continue ... but in a bubble environment where fans will not be allowed to attend until the restrictions have been lifted.

"Play will continue, the players will compete in a bubble not dissimilar to what they've been doing for the last year," Tiley said.

"Those that will be allowed on site will be players and direct support teams, as well as staff members unable to do their work from home. ... Those essential to the delivery of the event will be on site."

Top players from all over the world had flown to Australia for the tourney -- including Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Rafael Nadal and more.

In fact, Serena had praised the country for its handling of COVID and gushed about how nice it was to play in front of crowds again.

A Rafael Nadal heckler was ejected from the Australian Open on Thursday ... and the scene was both bizarre and hilarious -- 'cause the woman straight-up shot the tennis star the bird from the stands!

The wild moment all went down during Nadal's win over Michael Mmoh at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne ... when Nadal had to stop play mid-match over some screaming in the stands.

Turns out, a woman was yelling trying to distract the 34-year-old Spaniard ... and when Rafa kept pausing to look at her actions, she eventually flipped him off!!

Security tried to get involved ... but the fan kept going -- and the whole time, Nadal was cracking up!

At one point, announcers suspected the woman was drunk ... saying on the broadcast, "Maybe a bit too much -- a bit inebriated, I think."

One of the announcers then added, "This is chaos."

Finally, after a two- or three-minute delay, security got ahold of the woman and booted her from the premises.

SLAYYYYYYYY.

Serena Williams killed the fashion game -- and her opponent -- in her first official match at the Australian Open ... rockin' a 1-legged catsuit in an awesome tribute to track legend Florence Griffith Joyner.

The G.O.A.T. took the court Sunday against Laura Siegemund and just beat the daylights out of the German in 2 straight sets.

After the match, Serena explained her outfit.

"I was inspired by Flo-Jo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up," Serena said.

"Watching her fashion, just always changing, her outfits were always amazing."

She added, "The Nike team actually thought of this design of inspiration from Flo-Jo. I was like, 'Oh, my god, this is so brilliant.'"

Flo-Jo was one of the greatest sprinters in American history -- speeding to 3 gold medals at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul in the 100m, 200m and 4x100 relay.

Griffith Joyner passed away in 1998 after suffering an epileptic seizure in her sleep. She was only 38 -- but her reputation as an elite athlete and fashion icon lives on.

YOU GOTTA SEE THE MASSIVE TROPHY ROOM IN SERENA WILLIAMS' MIAMI MANSION!!!

Oh, and you also have to see when she discovers a 2nd place trophy on one of her shelves -- and says she's moving it to the TRASH!!!

"I see a 2nd place trophy but I’m gonna put that one in the trash -- shouldn’t be in here. We don't keep second place."

The tennis goddess opened up the doors to her Miami home for Architectural Digest ... showing off everything from her own private art gallery (!!!!!) to the bar, media room and more.

But, the highlight for us is the Trophy Room ... which contains hardware from her victories at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, Australian Open, French Open and more.

It's unreal.

Serena has so many trophies, she can barely keep track of what trophies she has and where some of them are located ... and if that's not the most baller thing ever, what the hell is?!

Of course, Serena has won 39 Grand Slam titles in her amazing career -- 23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She also has 4 Olympic gold medals.

Bad news Down Under ... a worker associated with the Australian Open has tested positive for COVID and now ALL of the players (including Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka) have been ordered to isolate.

AO officials made the announcement Wednesday ... explaining an employee at one of the Australian Open quarantine hotels came down with the virus this week.

And, because of the case, they've now canceled Thursday's Australian Open tune-up games ... and have said players and AO workers who were at the hotel must now go back into quarantine.

"Those associated with the AO who quarantined at the hotel now need to be tested and isolate until they receive a negative test result," officials said.

"We will work with everyone involved to facilitate testing as quickly as possible. There will be no matches at Melbourne Park on Thursday."

Of course, Australia's COVID rules required everyone who flew in from out of the country to isolate for 14 days AND test negative before they could go out in public.

The rule had seemed to work beautifully ... Australian officials had just announced they hadn't had a positive case in the entire country in nearly 2 full weeks.

In fact, things were going so swimmingly, maskless fans packed an arena last week to watch some Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic warm-up games.

Now, however, the AO's Feb. 8 start time could be in jeopardy due to the new case ... although officials said there's no change on that front as of this moment.

Surreal scene Down Under ... tennis fans PACKED a stadium to watch tune-up games for the Australian Open -- with masks nowhere to be found!!!

... and Serena Williams loved every second of it!!!

Don't worry -- this wasn't a super-spreader event ... because of strict quarantine rules and other regulations in place to fight COVID, Australia is actually a coronavirus-free area.

In fact, officials announced Friday the entire country hasn't had a positive case in nearly two weeks!!!

So, an estimated crowd of around 4,000 jammed into an arena in Adelaide on Friday to watch tennis stars like Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic prep for the Aussie Open ... and it was all awesome.

Check out the pics ... fans were shoulder to shoulder, with no masks and no social distancing -- and no worries at all of getting sick.

As for the players, they were all forced to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arriving in Australia to ensure they didn't spread the virus ... and most had expressed publicly how difficult that was.

Williams, though, spoke after her match with Osaka and was grateful the rules and regulations allowed her and others to play maskless and without fear of catching COVID.

"We haven't played in front of a crowd in over a year," Williams said. "So it's been a really long time. So this is really cool."

Serena thanked the Australian crowd for "having us and trusting us with your laws" -- adding, "We were so happy just to be here and now it's worth it."

She owns the tennis court. Now, Naomi Osaka owns a pro women's soccer team too!

The 23-year-old superstar just bought an ownership stake in the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League -- and it's all part of her plan to grow women's sports throughout the country.

The Courage are the reigning NWSL champions -- and have been one of the most dominant teams in the league over the past few years.

Unclear how much Osaka paid for her ownership stake -- but she can certainly afford it ... Forbes says she was the highest-paid female athlete in the world in 2020, raking in more than $37 MILLION.

So, why the NWSL? Osaka says it was extremely important to her to invest in women's sports -- and she felt the NWSL was the perfect place to start.

"Throughout my career I've always received so much love from my fellow female athletes, so that's why I am proud to share that I am now an owner of the NC Courage," Osaka tweeted Thursday.

"The women who have invested in me growing up made me who I am today, I don't know where I would be without them,"

Osaka also told People she had been wanting to invest in an NWSL team for a while -- and ultimately felt the Courage was the perfect fit for her.

"I love that young girls can now look to professional soccer as a realistic sporting career," Osaka said ... "When I was young it felt like tennis -- and maybe golf -- was the only option."

Osaka joins a star-studded group of women who recently invested in NWSL teams -- including Candace Parker, Billie Jean King, and Patrick Mahomes' fiancee Brittany Matthews.

Stephen Malik -- who bought the Courage in 2017 -- said he's "thrilled" to welcome Osaka to the ownership group ... saying, "She brings an invaluable viewpoint on topics beyond sports."

"I cannot think of anyone better to help us as we continue to make a difference in our community and inspire the next generation of women."

Serena Williams' husband is clapping back HARD at a billionaire who criticized the tennis legend ... with Alexis Ohanian calling the guy a straight-up "racist/sexist clown."

Here's the backstory ... Ion Tiriac -- the super-rich ex-tennis star who's the director of the Madrid Open -- went on a Romanian television show recently and jabbed at Serena.

"At this age and the weight she is now, she does not move as easily as she did 15 years ago," Tiriac said, according to ProSport in Romania.

"Serena was a sensational player. If she had a little decency, she would retire! From all points of view."

FYI, Tiriac has quarreled with Serena in the past ... he's criticized Williams' weight while pining that the sport needs to shine a spotlight on players outside of her. Williams, meanwhile, called those comments in 2018 both "ignorant" and "sexist."

This time, however, it was Williams' husband who fired back at Tiriac ... and the co-founder of Reddit didn't pull punches.

37-year-old Ohanian went after Tiriac on social media ... blasting the 81-year-old in a series of tweets.

"Safe to say no one gives a damn what Ion Țiriac thinks," Ohanian wrote. "Had to Google it... turns out my 3 year old has more Grand Slam victories than this [clown]."

Ohanian added, "2021 and no holding back when a racist/sexist clown with a platform comes for my family."

Tennis star Alexander Zverev is adamant he did NOT put his hands on his ex-girlfriend ... saying the recent allegations made against him are simply not true.

The 23-year-old German's ex-GF, Olga Sharypova, went public last week with claims he hit her head against a wall, twisted her arms and tried to strangle her with a pillow in August 2019.

Zverev quickly responded with a statement of his own ... saying the accusations are "unfounded."

"I very much regret that she makes such statements," the #7-ranked player in the world said. "Because the accusations are simply not true. We had a relationship, but it ended a long time ago."

"Why Olga is making these accusations now, I just don't know."

Zverev was asked again about the claims after beating Miomir Kecmanovic at the Paris Masters tournament on Wednesday ... doubling down on his innocence.

"I have said everything on my Instagram," Zverev said. "There is nothing else I can add right now. I’m here to play tennis."

"I mean, the relationship, as I said, has been over for a very long time."

No money, Mo problems ...

Boris Becker appeared in a London courtroom Thursday to plead not guilty to allegations he's been hiding several tennis trophies from debt collectors.

... another bizarre twist in one of the weirdest falls from grace ever.

Remember, Becker -- a former tennis superstar who made more than $25 mil in his career -- was declared bankrupt in 2017 after racking up what court officials called a "historic debt."

52-year-old Becker was later ordered to surrender any possessions of value to a trustee -- who could in turn sell the items to help satisfy the debt. It's common practice in bankruptcy cases.

Among the items, Becker was ordered to hand over ... his Wimbledon trophies from 1985 and 1989 and his Australian Open trophies from 1991 and 1996.

FYI, Becker was only 17 when he won Wimbledon in '85 -- making him the youngest men's singles champ ever.

In other words, the trophy is probably super valuable to collectors.

But, Becker allegedly failed to hand over the trophies -- along with roughly $1.3 million in cash ... so prosecutors have pushed forward with criminal charges in a new 28-count indictment.

If convicted, Becker reportedly faces several years behind bars. This is a big deal.

Becker's attorney, Jonathan Caplan, says the tennis star is "determined to face and contest these charges and restore his reputation in relation to the allegations made against him."

Yeah, good luck with that.

By the way, Becker has allegedly tried to run from his debt in the past -- back in 2018, he claimed to have a diplomatic passport from the Central African Republic that would give him immunity in his bankruptcy case in the UK.

Rose petals?? Check. Sunset views on the beach?? Check. Candles and live music?? Check and check!!

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka and her rapper boyfriend Cordae had the most epic romantic dinner on the beach to celebrate her birthday this week ... and it legit looks like it came out of a dream.

The couple has been boo'd up in paradise for about a week to celebrate Osaka's 23rd (which was Oct. 16) ... posting up at the beach and other cozy spots.

The top highlight had to be their private dinner on the sand ... where the "Gifted" lyricist vibed to the tunes of the night as Osaka soaked it all in.

"I felt like I was in a movie," the 3-time Grand Slam winner said on Tuesday.

Of course, Osaka and Cordae have been together for over a year ... but this is by far the most romantic we've seen the couple!

Cordae has played the role of cheerleader this year as well, supporting Osaka from the stands during her U.S. Open championship run.

Call this a new kind of love-love for tennis star Genie Bouchard ... TMZ Sports has confirmed she's now dating Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph!!!

A source close to the couple tells us the two began a romantic fling recently ... and have gotten pretty serious.

In fact, 26-year-old Genie was just spotted at a fancy restaurant in Pittsburgh this week ... posting a pic of her at the place with the caption, "Pitt stop."

25-year-old Mason -- who was presumably on the other end of the camera -- dropped a "like" on the photo.

Of course, the new relationship means the end of a possible old one for Rudolph ... as we previously reported, the quarterback had been seen in L.A. in April getting cozy with "Bachelor" star Hannah Ann Sluss.

Unclear how serious the two were ... but Rudolph's clearly moved on either way.

As for Genie, she's been no stranger to famous dates in the past ... remember Super Bowl bet guy?!

But, seems she's finally found her special someone ... which is awesome for her, considering just a few months ago she tweeted that going through quarantine "would be a lot more fun with a boyfriend."

Congrats!!

Michael Jordan's done it. Same with Walter Payton and Mary Lou Retton.

And now, LeBron James is finally getting the honor of being on the Wheaties box!!

It's kinda crazy LeBron hasn't been on the box before considering he's been an NBA superstar since 2003, but better late than never!

General Mills announced the Lakers superstar will take over as the box cover athlete, relieving Serena Williams of her cereal duties.

The company says it picked LeBron to celebrate his "efforts both on and off the court" -- most notably, his accomplishments with the I Promise program for underprivileged kids in Akron, Ohio.

In fact, LeBron will share the Wheaties box with images of kids, families and faculty from the I Promise program and the I Promise public school.

FYI, Wheaties has been putting top athletes on the cereal box for 85 years -- the very first athlete to grace the cover was Lou Gehrig back in 1934!

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!