Tennis

Serena Williams says the pro tennis ranking system is "biased" against working moms -- and she's living proof -- claiming she took a HUGE hit for taking maternity leave and it's simply not right.

"When I returned to tennis from maternity leave, I was penalized for taking time off: my ranking dropped from #1 in the world to #453," Serena wrote in an op-ed for Fortune.

"That required me to face tougher competition earlier in the French Open, which led to a pectoral injury that forced me to drop out."

Serena gave birth to her daughter, Olympia, back in Sept. 2017 -- but there were complications which required Serena to undergo emergency surgery following the delivery.

Everyone is okay now ... and Serena returned to tennis 8 months after giving birth. The problem? Serena says the extremely low ranking the ATP and WTA gave her when she returned was super unfair and forced her to overcome obstacles she shouldn't have had to overcome!

"I fought hard personally, making it to the Wimbledon final shortly after, but I also fought hard publicly against the biased ranking system. We must stop penalizing women when they return to their careers after having children."

She added, "Women deserve to be given the same respect and opportunities as our male counterparts. We are entitled to the same open doors."

The good news ... the WTA announced back in December they recognized this very problem -- and vowed to give protection to mothers who return to the tour after giving birth.

The WTA says female players who give birth will be able to use their pre-maternity leave ranking to enter 12 tournaments over a 3-year period, which seems like a practical solution.

Skin color controversy be damned, Steve Harvey thinks Will Smith would be the PERFECT guy to play Serena Williams' dad on the big screen.

There's a new movie being shopped around about Richard Williams -- Serena and Venus' father -- and it appears Will Smith is the #1 choice to play the #1 dad.

But, there's been a major backlash from people who say Will's complexion is too LIGHT to match the real Richard ... and critics are already calling for potential producers to find a more dark-skinned actor.

Steve Harvey doesn't see it that way ... telling TMZ Sports the beloved entertainer can do no wrong.

"Hell yeah, Will Smith is a good choice for everything."

Smith hasn't officially signed on to the project or even commented about it publicly. The project is only in the "spec script" stage.

However, there's been a push on social media for other actors to get the lead role -- suggested names have included Don Cheadle, Forest Whitaker and even Usher.

We asked what Harvey thought about the latter ... and it's safe to say he ain't buyin' it.

"Come on, man."

As for the biopic ... Deadline reports its working title is "King Richard" and will tell the story of how the world's most famous tennis parent raised the 2 sisters from the streets of Compton to international tennis superstardom, despite Richard having no real tennis experience of his own.

Justin Gimelstob -- an ex-tennis star and broadcaster -- says he did NOT beat the hell out of a man during a trick-or-treating run last Halloween ... telling TMZ Sports he's not a violent person.

As we previously reported ... Gimelstob -- a former doubles champ who's coached tennis star John Isner -- was arrested after he allegedly roughed up a man named Randall Kaplan on Oct. 31, 2018.

According to Kaplan ... Gimelstob punched him "more than 50 times" in the face and head during the alleged assault and threatened to "f**king kill" him.

Gimelstob was charged with felony battery ... but when we got him out after his latest court date in L.A. on Thursday -- he told us he's an innocent man.

"I'm not the person that's been depicted here," Gimelstob says ... adding that he's NOT a violent person.

Gimelstob is facing up to 4 years in prison AND a fine of up to $10,000. He previously pled not guilty to the charge back in December.

Justin's due back in court next week.

Gimelstob was a star in doubles matches back in the late '90s ... winning with partner Venus Williams in both the 1998 Australian Open and 1998 French Open mixed doubles tournaments.

Meghan Markle took her fetus for a night on the town Tuesday -- hitting the famous Polo Bar restaurant for dinner with her pal Serena Williams ... and we've got the video.

Her Royal Highness had a busy day -- she flew into New York for her baby shower at The Mark Hotel earlier in the day ... where friends like Abigail Spencer and Jessica Mulroney helped celebrate the mom-to-be.

Afterward, it was off to Ralph Lauren's Polo Bar -- famous for its $20 "RRL Hot Dog" -- which comes with sauerkraut, sweet relish & mustard on a toasted brioche bun.

If she didn't have the dog, she missed out.

On the way out, 37-year-old Meghan strutted to her waiting SUV while clutching a fancy black Stella McCartney purse.

FYI, everything Meghan touches seems to sell out in minutes -- guessing royal fashion-aholics already snapped up the remaining stock.

Serena followed Meghan and got in the same SUV.

Betcha didn't think pottery could be so appealing ... but, here's Serena Williams to prove it's definitely possible.

The tennis superstar put more than just her clay curves on display at a pottery studio on Thursday ... rockin' a leopard print shirt and some jean shorts that would make Daisy Duke proud.

Serena -- a Jehovah's Witness -- doesn't celebrate holidays, so she hit up Avenue Pottery in South Florida with some friends for GALentine's Day instead!!!

Serena picked out the matching outfits with her friend ... and posted about the experience, saying, "I’m really getting into pottery."

Of course, Serena addressed not celebrating holidays when her baby, Alexis Olympia, turned 1 back in September ... saying, "Olympia doesn't celebrate birthdays. We're Jehovah's Witnesses, we don't do that."

Williams' hubby certainly doesn't seem to mind not celebrating V-Day ... saying, "Those pottery skills tho" with a set of eye emojis.

Yeah, dude. Pottery skills.

Tennis superstar Andy Murray says he's in some serious pain after undergoing hip surgery in London early Monday morning -- but even worse ... the guy thinks he's fat.

The 31-year-old Wimbledon champ has been in so much pain from his messed up hip over the past 2 years that he's considered retiring from tennis if the doctors can't fix him up.

So, he went under the knife on Monday -- and seems to be optimistic.

"I underwent a hip resurfacing surgery in London yesterday morning...feeling a bit battered and bruised just now but hopefully that will be the end of my hip pain," Murray said.

"I now have a metal hip as you can see in the 2nd photo 👉👉 and I look like I've got a bit of a gut in photo 1."

Dude, you don't have a gut.

The good news for Murray, tennis star Bob Bryan has previously had the same procedure and returned to the court after only 5 months of recovery.

If Murray has the same results, he could compete at Wimbledon in July.

Andy Murray's freein' the nip in retirement ... ditching his shirt to catch some rays with his mom in Australia!!

The British tennis superstar announced his plans to retire due to injuries earlier this month ... and might've just played his last match after losing in the first round of the Australian Open.

Murray started his first full day off with a topless suntan in Melbourne with his mom ... strollin' the Yarra River and enjoying the R&R.

BTW -- Murray has 3 grand slam titles and was once the top player in the world.

The 31-year-old has hinted at a possible return down the road ... so maybe we haven't seen the end of Murray. But, if it is the end, the dude looks like he'll be just fine.

The U.S. Open fan who caused a collective gag when she dunked her chicken tenders in soda is now making it possible for you to indulge ... and if you think the food combo makes you nauseous, check out her music video.

Alexa Greenfield, tells TMZ ... she's about to launch her new product -- Cola Sauce! She's unveiling her product 2 ways -- with a video that rivals "Thriller," and an appearance at a chicken joint.

Alexa will make a personal appearance at Hill Country Chicken in NYC on January 26 and 27. It's not just any ol' chicken joint ... it the place she bought the tenders that made her famous.

Truth be told ... the video's kinda fun. It instructs the not faint of heart on how to properly tenderize your tenders with the soda of your choice.

Alexa's going full bore ... she's launching Cola Sauce on her website next month.

Some good news, bad news for Serena Williams ...

The Good News -- The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has announced massive rule changes allowing athletes like Serena to wear full catsuit outfits during 2019 matches.

The Bad News -- The French Open -- where the whole catsuit drama went down -- could still ban it because the rule change doesn't apply to Grand Slams.

Remember, French Open officials created a huge controversy after they told Serena she couldn't wear her custom-made Nike compression suit ... despite the fact that it was designed to increase blood circulation in the wake of her health issues surrounding blood clots.

The ensuing outcry was LOUD -- with everyone from ex-pro tennis player Anne White to ex-Iran president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad racing to defend Williams.

In an effort to prevent similar drama from happening ... the WTA announced in rule changes this week, "Leggings and mid-thigh-length compression shorts may be worn with or without a skirt, shorts or dress."

Translation ... catsuit's back!!!

The problem -- the rule changes only apply to WTA Tournaments ... NOT Grand Slams.

What does tennis superstar Andy Murray have in common with Alvin and the Chipmunks?

They just want a Hula Hoop for Christmas!!!

Check out Andy gettin' his hips going with a special hula hoop workout on Wednesday at the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Florida.

31-year-old Murray has raved about the hula workout in the past -- telling Men's Journal back in August he'd been experimenting with different types of workouts after suffering a hip injury in 2017.

"I’ve been doing coordination stuff, gymnastics-type moves and actually some moves with hula hoops," the 2-time Wimbledon champ told the mag.

"I hadn’t done it since I was a kid, but those moves have helped keep me loose and healthy without putting too much strain on my body. It’s been new and challenging, but I’ve enjoyed it."

See that?! Hula hooping might actually make you a better athlete!!

And, if not, at least it's fun ... right, Alvin?!

Anna Kournikova's all about that top-shelf life -- blame it on the Goose -- during a recent trip to the grocery store.

The former tennis superstar was leaving Costco Wednesday in Miami, and she loaded up with groceries and TONS of booze. How big a haul are we talking here? She needed help from 3 assistants to get her car loaded.

But, it's hard not to miss her cart ... loaded with 6 Ketel One bottles, 4 Grey Goose bottles, a bottle of Patron and champagne. Why the liquor haul? We don't know for sure, but Anna and Enrique Iglesias' twins are turning 1 in just a few days.

The kids might not know it's a party but -- from the looks of it -- the adults definitely will. Bottoms up!

Justin Gimelstob -- an ex-tennis star and current broadcaster -- pled not guilty to felony aggravated battery after he was accused of beating the hell out of a man during a trick-or-treating run on Halloween.

Gimelstob -- a former doubles champ who coaches tennis stud John Isner -- was arrested on the suspicion of roughing up a guy named Randall Kaplan while the man was trick-or-treating with his family in L.A. on Oct. 31.

In a restraining order Kaplan filed in November, he claims the tennis coach hit him from behind, pinned him down, punched him "more than 50 times" in the face and head and threatened to "f**king kill" him.

Justin showed up in court Wednesday in L.A. to face the battery with serious bodily injury charge -- a felony -- and pled not guilty.

If convicted, Gimelstob faces up to 4 years in prison AND a fine of up to $10,000.

While dealing with his case, Justin has reportedly taken a leave of absence from his role as an analyst at the Tennis Channel.

Here's Genie Bouchard proving two legs are a helluva lot better than one tail ... 'cause she ditched her mermaid outfit for a tiny black bikini Wednesday -- and we're all grateful for it.

The tennis superstar has been over in Necker Island for the week ... splashin' around in paradise -- mostly in barely-there bathing suits.

But, today ... Genie broke out a mermaid's tail -- and while she looked smokin' hot in it -- when she bailed on the fit ... the pool she was in definitely got a little bit hotter.

Genie's over on Richard Branson’s private island in the British Virgin Islands for a tennis pro-am ... but you'll have to excuse us for not payin' attention to the action on the court.

Seriously ... can you blame us?!?!

Two smokin' hot tennis stars have been tapped to be Armani's newest underwear models ... and so far, seems like it's working out!

Check out 31-year-old Fabio Fognini and his wife Flavia Pennetta -- a real-life married couple who happen to look great in their skivvies.

Armani announced Fabio -- the #13 ranked player in the world -- will be the face for the new EA7 Emporio Armani sports line and Emporio Armani Underwear worldwide.

And, because they're not stupid, they also signed his smokeshow wife, Flavia, to appear in the ads as well -- she's the 2015 U.S. Open champion.

36-year-old Flavia has since retired from pro tennis -- but obviously, she still works out!

The two began dating back in 2014 -- got engaged in 2015 -- and tied the knot in 2016. Then, Flavia gave birth to their first child in 2017!

And, now they're underwear models in 2018!

You still waiting 'til January to hit the gym?

Venus Williams has reached a settlement with the family of the man who died in the Florida car accident she had last year ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court docs filed in Palm Beach County, Jerome Barson's estate and the tennis star reached an agreement last week. It's unclear how much money changed hands, but according to the docs there was a financial settlement that will cover certain expenses.

Both sides are paying their own attorneys' fees in the wrongful death suit. TMZ Sports obtained surveillance video showing the brutal accident.

Jerome's wife was driving and he was the passenger in the sedan that T-boned Venus as she drove through a busy Palm Beach Gardens intersection in 2017.

Venus was cleared of criminal charges after cops determined she was "caught in the middle" of the intersection when her light turned red.

Cristiano Ronaldo took his longtime girlfriend and son out to catch a tennis match Monday -- sittin' in plain sight so everybody could see he ain't the evil monster he's been accused of bein'.

CR7, Georgina Rodriguez and Cristiano Jr. hit up the Novak Djokovic-John Isner match at the ATP Finals at O2 Arena in London ... and the soccer superstar made sure he was front and center.

He playfully patted his son's head ... paid attention to his longtime girlfriend -- and looked nothing like a man who's been accused of rape.

Of course ... CR7 is, in fact, facing those allegations -- with a woman suing the soccer legend, saying he sexually assaulted her in his penthouse suite back in 2009.

But, Cristiano's vehemently denied those allegations ... calling them "fake news" and saying, "Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."