Serena Williams Slams Skin Bleaching Claim ... 'It Is Ridiculous!'

Serena Williams is adamantly denying she's making major changes to her appearance after a recent video of the retired tennis superstar went viral ... saying speculation she lightened her skin is BS!

"And no, for you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin," Serena said on Instagram Live while going through her makeup routine on Monday.

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The clapback comes after numerous social media accounts focused on how Williams looked when she shared footage from her daughter's school play, with some commenting on the shade of her skin.

Serena Williams Husband Alexis Says He Had Half His Thyroid Removed

Alexis Ohanian, tennis legend Serena Williams' husband, detailed a recent health scare in a post on Instagram ... in which he says he got half his thyroid removed.

The Reddit cofounder and entrepreneur explained it all in a post put up on Thanksgiving day ... showing a snap of him with a scar on his neck while gowned up in a hospital bed -- saying the procedure came after "tracking some suspicious nodules on my thyroid for the last 4 years."

Alexis says the nodules kept getting bigger over time, and his most recent biopsy revealed "they’d very likely turn cancerous" -- adding he wasn't going to take a chance.

Rafael Nadal Brought to Tears At Final Match

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EMOTIONAL FAREWELL
Davis Cup

Rafael Nadal's 23-year career has come to an end ... and the legendary tennis player was overwhelmed with emotion as fans gave him a heartfelt ovation at the Davis Cup.

Nadal -- who was the No. 1-ranked singles player for 209 weeks -- had his last match on Tuesday in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Malaga, Spain ... a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Botic van de Zandschulp.

After the final point, Nadal was honored with a retirement ceremony ... and the crowd's response left the 38-year-old in tears.

Rafael Nadal I'm Retiring

Rafael Nadal -- one of the greatest and most successful tennis players to ever pick up a racket -- just announced he's walking away from the sport ... with his last match slated for November.

The 38-year-old Spanish superstar broke the news in a heartfelt social media post on Thursday ... saying the decision has been a long time coming, especially with how the past two years have played out for him.

"I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations," Nadal said. "It is obviously a difficult decision and one that has taken me some time to make."

Frances Tiafoe Curses Out Umpire At Match ... 'F*** You, Man!!!'

UPDATE

12:14 PM PT -- Frances Tiafoe just issued a mea culpa for his actions ... saying, "That is not who I am and not how I ever want to treat people."

Tiafoe said he let his frustrations get the best of him ... and he's disappointed with how it all played out.

"That's not acceptable behavior and I want to apologize to the umpire, the tournament, and the fans."

"I'll be better for yall."

Frances Tiafoe absolutely lost it on an umpire on Tuesday ... cussing up a storm as he expressed his frustrations over a controversial call.

The tennis star lashed out following his loss to Roman Safiullin at the Shanghai Masters ... clearly pissed off about how things unfolded earlier in the match.

During the contest, the umpire gave 13th-seed Tiafoe two time violations ... the second one taking away Tiafoe's first serve on a crucial point in the tiebreaker.

Brooke Mueller The Ball Is In My Court!! Chilling After Matthew Perry Link Revealed

Brooke Mueller hit the tennis court with serious energy this week ... after a tough time recently, with her name tangled up in Matthew Perry's ketamine death investigation.

The actress was rocking full red tennis gear in Malibu, looking like a pro and soaking up the sunshine, showing off her skills on the court.

Brooke was all smiles, serving up aces and sunshine -- her sighting coming after we revealed she was in a rehab facility at the same time with Matthew Perry and Jasveen Sangha -- AKA "Ketamine Queen" -- the woman who allegedly sold the fatal dose to the "Friends" star.

Dave Grohl Super Snippy Weeks Before Baby Bombshell

Dave Grohl's bad mood at Wimbledon now makes sense ... the rocker stepped out with his wife, Jordyn Blum, at the tournament weeks before confessing he's fathered a baby outside his marriage.

Check it out ... the Foo Fighters frontman had a blatantly snippy attitude while being interviewed at the London tennis event back in July.

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In the footage, a BBC Sport reporter politely asked Grohl for any final predictions for the tournament at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ... but the rock legend offered up only short, bland retorts.

Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce Doubles Partners at US Open ... Date at Men's Final!!!

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have a packed social calendar this weekend ... and, they're keeping the good times rolling, hitting the US Open for the men's final.

The happy couple arrived in Queens for the match just minutes ago ... rolling into the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center hand-in-hand.

Check out the clip ... T-Swift's in a pretty standard pink dress, showing quite a bit of leg in the miniskirt. Travis is decked out in his country club best -- all white ensemble with red and green trim and a matching bucket hat.

Aryna Sabalenka Wins Big At US Open ... Then Offers Fans Free Booze!!!

Aryna Sabalenka's win at the US Open in New York on Tuesday night ended up being a big victory for all in attendance ... as she promised free booze to everyone who watched her score the W.

The 26-year-old made the offer just after rolling through Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium ... when ESPN's Pam Shriver asked her how she planned on getting support in the next round against American Emma Navarro.

"Umm," the Belarusian said, "drinks on me tonight!?"

Alec Baldwin Hits US Open W/ Hilaria ... Life's A Tennis Ball After 'Rust' Trial

Alec Baldwin is showing his life is returning to normal following his dramatic "Rust" trial ... the actor was spotted out in New York on Monday night taking in all the tennis action at the US Open.

The 66-year-old was joined by his wife, Hilaria, for the occasion ... and while there weren't many big grins from the duo as they watched Novak Djokovic beat up Radu Albot in Arthur Ashe Stadium -- it's clear the two are moving on following the dismissal of Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter case.

Alec was sporting a black suit and black tie for the event ... while Hilaria opted for a sleek green dress -- and they chatted together throughout the evening.

Drake I Wrote 'Too Good' For Serena Williams!!! ... Makes Confession in Never-Before-Seen Vid

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LIGHT HEARTED MELODY

Drake has just confirmed a long-suspected theory about one of his hit songs ... as the rapper has dropped never-before-seen footage from the studio.

The hitmaker released a bunch of archival footage from the last several years ... including one telling video, where he makes a big confession about his 2016 anthem, "Too Good," featuring Rihanna.

Watch the vid ... as Drake dishes to his mother -- who is off camera -- that he wrote the song with former flame Serena Williams in mind.

Serena Williams Champion Server Gets Served with Denial Claim from Hotel ... Sorry, We Were Booked

Serena Williams' fight with a fancy Paris hotel is in standoff mode, after the establishment pushed back on claims it denied her service.

The Peninsula Paris issued a statement Monday in response to the tennis legend accusing the rooftop restaurant of denying her and her kids access despite it being "empty." In her post on X, Serena included a sign emblazoned with the name of the hotel, angering her fans who blasted management in the comments section.

As a result, the Peninsula jumped on X to explain its actions, saying the rooftop bar was fully booked and the unoccupied tables of the gourmet restaurant were all reserved.

Serena Williams Rips Paris Hotel ... You're Really Gonna Reject Me?!?!

Serena Williams is putting a Paris hotel on blast ... calling out the establishment for denying her family access to a rooftop restaurant -- despite it being completely "empty."

The 42-year-old tennis legend went to X to publicly send a message to The Peninsula Hotel on Monday ... sharing her frustrations with how her visit went down.

"Yikes," Williams stated. "@peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids. Always a first."

Rafael Nadal Match Worn 2005 French Open Shirt ... Sells For Over $113K!!!

Rafael Nadal's match-worn shirt from the 2005 French Open final against Roger Federer exceeded expectations at auction ... selling for over $113K!

The shirt is literally off Nadal's back ... a garment he wore for at least three matches during the major tennis tournament. One of those matches was a clash with fellow all-time great, Federer.

You might recall, Nadal defeated Federer -- ranked No. 1 at that time -- in the semifinal ... one of only a handful of men to defeat RF. It also happened to be Nadal's 19th birthday.

Now you can see why the piece was so desirable... even surpassing the $100K estimated auction price by the experts at Prestige Memorabilia.

Steph Curry Fanboys Over US Table Tennis Team ... Gets Signed Ball!!!

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STARSTRUCK STEPH
X/@usabasketball

Stephen Curry is used to people approaching him asking for autographs and pictures, but the tables were turned in Paris -- with the Golden State Warriors superstar geeking out over the Team USA women's table tennis squad!!

The cool moment occurred at the men's basketball practice ... when Curry made sure to hang out with the guests of the hour -- and was handed the ball by one of the coaches. Curry then asked the team to add their Hancocks to the tiny surface area.

Curry returned the favor to the team ... as he signed some merch as well -- much to the group's delight.

Guess Which Tennis Pro This Adorable Girl Turned Into!

Before this little girl born in Japan was lobbin' up the ball on the court, she was just having her dad coach her, looking up to her older sister -- also a professional tennis player -- and growing up in Long Island before moving to sunny Florida.

Outside of her stellar skills on the pavement, she's been prepping her voice for an upcoming anime film. She's also a proud mama of a baby girl!

While in Paris, she's been hopping on social media -- proudly showing off her U.S.A. merch at the Summer Olympics.

Can you guess who she is?