Tennis

YO, THIS IS AWESOME!!

Remember those two girls who went viral for playing rooftop tennis at their apartment buildings in Italy back in April?!

Roger Federer just surprised 'em for a special rooftop match -- and the video rules!

Yeah, it's a cheap publicity stunt for a pasta company -- but you can't fake the excitement the girls had when their tennis hero showed up out of nowhere!!

BACKSTORY -- During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, 13-year-old Vittoria and 11-year-old Carola went SUPER VIRAL for their rooftop match, which took place on top of two buildings in Liguria, Italy.

The video was shared all over the world -- with people giving 'em huge props for finding a way to play even though courts were closed.

Fast forward to July ... the girls were told they were going to be interviewed by the news media about their viral moment -- not knowing Roger Federer was secretly waiting behind the scenes!

During the interview, both girls praised Roger as their favorite player -- with Vittoria saying, "If I were to meet him, I would jump on him or I would be starstruck!

That's when the current #4-ranked player in the world appeared out of nowhere -- AND THE LOOK ON THE GIRLS' FACES IS PRICELESS!!!

"We cannot believe it, Federer is on our rooftop!!!"

The moment was awesome -- they took selfies, they chatted ... and then they played rooftop tennis!!!

Federer and the girls successfully volleyed for a bit ... but naturally, some shots came up short and became a hazard down below.

No one cared about that though -- the lost balls are probably collector's items now!

The whole surprise was coordinated by the Barilla pasta company --which explains why everyone scarfed down noodles after the match!

Federer also hooked up his new friends with another incredible experience -- 2 entries to Rafael Nadal's tennis camp!!

The U.S. Open has a 'Rona problem and a Drone-a problem -- meaning there's concern about unmannned aircrafts infiltrating the tennis tournament ... and the NYPD is on the case.

With the U.S. Open set to go down in New York on Aug. 31, organizers have already said no fans will be allowed to attend the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources tell TMZ Sports ... law enforcement is now anticipating an uptick in drone activity around Flushing Meadows from both journalists and fans trying to get a bird's-eye shot of the action.

We're told ... there are concerns about athlete safety and also the possibility of drones creating distractions during tournament play that could affect the event.

The NYPD tells us they will "have a counter-drone team" at the event to keep watch for anyone who violates drone laws.

"Drones are illegal over New York City and anyone using one needs to basically have a pilot's license and a flight plan," an NYPD spokesperson tells TMZ Sports.

So, how will cops catch the drone violators? We're told the NYPD will use sensors that can detect signals from drones and the handheld devices that control them.

If caught, illegal drone operators could face stiff penalties -- especially if an out-of-control drone strikes a person.

Ash Barty -- the #1 ranked female tennis player in the world -- is opting out of the U.S. Open ... saying it's just too risky to play.

The 24-year-old Australian says she loves the annual tournament -- set to begin in New York on August 31 -- but she doesn't feel comfortable bringing her team into a danger zone while the pandemic is still raging in the U.S.

"My team and I have decided that we won't be travelling to the ... Western & Southern Open and the U.S. Open this year," Barty said.

"I love both events so this was a difficult decision, but there are still significant risks involved due to COVID-19 and I don't feel comfortable putting my team and I in that position."

She added, "I wish the USTA all the best for the tournaments and I look forward to being back in the U.S. next year."

Australia has closed its international borders -- which would make overseas travel difficult for Barty anyway.

NOVAK?! HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?!!

Despite being at the center of a massive COVID-19 exposure, tennis superstar Novak Djokovic is still refusing to wear a mask!

The 33-year-old Serbian was spotted out Wednesday in Marbella, Spain -- a super popular vacation spot -- hanging out with a bunch of people.

No one in Novak's group appeared to be wearing a face-covering or seemed to make an effort to social distance.

Of course, Spain was hit particularly hard by the coronavirus -- with over 28,000 reported deaths -- but the popular beach areas finally began opening up earlier this month.

In fact, there are 3,000 "beach wardens" patrolling the sand to enforce safety protocols -- including mask-wearing.

There are stiff penalties for non-compliance -- including a $110 fine if caught maskless.

Obviously, Novak can afford a measly fine -- you'd think he'd want to avoid the public shaming (AGAIN) after throwing that COVID-infested tennis tournament last month.

As we previously reported, Novak blew off social distancing advice and hosted a tennis tournament in Croatia -- and shocker -- a bunch of people tested positive!

Both Novak and his wife contracted the virus -- and while they eventually recovered, you'd think they'd start taking safety measures more seriously.

Jabari Parker just told the world he'd contracted coronavirus -- and less than 3 days later, the guy doesn't appear to be in isolation ... but rather, he's playing tennis in public.

The Sacramento Kings star was spotted Saturday in Chicago's Longfellow Park, where he was rallying with a buddy on the other end of the net ... all smiles, and without a mask. Mind you, he'd just announced a few days earlier that he had test positive for COVID-19.

It's hard to say what we should make of these photos of him seemingly doing just fine in light of that. On the one hand, it's kind of a bad look -- but also, it might be perfectly understandable ... as we don't know the exact status of his recovery at the moment.

In his statement through the Kings, Jabari said he found out his diagnosis "several days ago," but didn't specify when or how long he's been quarantined in Chi-Town. You'd like to assume he's on the tail end of his 14-day isolation here, but we just don't know.

Another somewhat troubling sign -- sources tell us Jabari was recently seen out at a restaurant there in the Windy City. Again, unclear if he's all better now or still sick.

The father of tennis' most famous female players is being sued by folks who claim they bought the rights to his life story before Will Smith produced his own movie with himself as Richard.

Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, is being sued, along with Warner Bros. Entertainment and Will's production company Overbrook Entertainment, by the competition, TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multi-Media. TW3 and Power Move claim they locked up the rights to Richard's tale before WB and Will moved forward with a movie about him instead.

According to the lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- TW3 and PMMM claim they were cut out of the movie rights to the upcoming Warner Bros. biopic, "King Richard," which stars Will as Serena's pops.

In the docs, TW3 and PMMM claim they bought the rights to Richard's book "Black and White: The Way I See It" and life story back in 2017, an agreement they say barred anyone else from hitching a ride on his gravy train.

According to the suit ... Richard sold his rights to Warner Bros. for the movie for at least $1 million, which TW3 and PMMM claim WB knew would make their contract worthless.

In the docs, the production companies that claim they own the rights to Richard's story want an injunction requiring WB to put all the profits from the 'King Richard' movie, which is set for release this November, into a trust for their benefit ... and other damages too, of course.

A statue of African-American icon Arthur Ashe has been vandalized with "White Lives Matter" and "WLM" in Virginia ... and now police are investigating.

The monument was tagged in white spray paint early Wednesday morning ... and law enforcement says they have info on potential suspects.

The original vandalism was later written over with "BLM" in red spray paint ... and local reports say community members were already trying to remove the graffiti by the time cops arrived to the scene.

Ashe -- who broke barriers in the sport of tennis in becoming the first black man to win the Wimbledon, Australian Open and U.S. Open -- was honored with a statue in his hometown of Richmond in 1996.

It's worth noting ... the Ashe tribute is part of Richmond's Memorial Avenue, which is filled with statues to Confederate leaders that have been attacked by protesters following George Floyd's death.

Tennis star Naomi Osaka -- the highest-paid female athlete this past year -- is blasting the NFL ... taking aim at Roger Goodell and demanding Colin Kaepernick get his job back.

The 22-year-old broke it all down in an email to Reuters this week ... saying how she couldn't believe it took THIS much for The Shield to finally admit it bungled its handling of kneeling protests.

"Colin has been putting this message out since 2016," Osaka said. "It took a pandemic, an economic crisis and a torturous murder on camera, all at the same time, for people to really hear him."

"It shouldn't have been that way. If the NFL wants to show that they really care the first thing they should do is take a knee together and give Colin his job back."

As we previously reported ... Al Sharpton relayed a similar message at George Floyd's funeral earlier this week, saying if the NFL truly is sorry, it needs to give Colin his job back ASAP.

"We don’t want an apology," Sharpton said. "We want him repaired!"

As for Osaka, she's held no punches when it comes to her outspoken role in the fight for social justice ... and even in the face of hundreds of trolls online, Osaka says she ain't stoppin' anytime soon.

"I'm vocal because I believe in the movement and want to try to use my platform to facilitate change," Osaka said.

Rafael Nadal just dropped MILLIONS on a ridiculously awesome 79-foot luxury yacht with a fold-out balcony ... and TMZ Sports has the photos.

Nadal -- one of the greatest tennis players of all time -- hit up Sunreef Yachts and ordered a customized 80 Sunreef Power ... a catamaran (a boat with 2 hulls).

SY wouldn't say exactly how much the tennis superstar spent ... but they told us a previous yacht that was used -- and had less customization -- sold for $7 mil.

So, do the math ... Nadal likely plunked down somewhere near $10 MILLION!!!

The boat is 79 feet long, 39 feet wide, and has 4 guest cabins. Nadal's master cabin has a private balcony that folds out.

In total, the yacht has nearly 4,000 square feet of livable space.

So, yeah, Rafa's boat is bigger than most homes.

Sunreef delivered the yacht to Nadal in Mallorca on his 34th birthday.

Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, just announced he's giving up his seat on Reddit's board ... and he says it's all in an effort to help the black community.

The 37-year-old -- who co-founded Reddit 15 years ago -- said in a powerful video statement Friday he's urging the company to now give his spot to a black candidate.

Ohanian also announced he's donating any future gains he obtains on his Reddit stock "to serve the black community" ... beginning with a $1 MILLION donation to Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp.

"It is long overdue to do the right thing," Ohanian said. "I'm doing this for me, for my family and for my country. I'm saying this as a father who needs to be able to answer his black daughter when she asks, 'What did you do?'"

Ohanian added, "I believe resignation can actually be an act of leadership for people in power right now, and to everyone fighting to fix our broken nation, do not stop."

Ohanian famously married Serena back in 2017 ... shortly after having their daughter, Alexis Olympia.

Roger Federer is finally #1 on the Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes list -- but it's all because two superstars took a pay hit thanks to COVID.

The 38-year-old tennis superstar reportedly raked in $106.3 million from June 1, 2019 to June 1, 2020 (in pre-taxed earnings) from prize money and endorsements.

Federer earned $6.3 million in prize money -- but the bulk of his financial haul comes by way of endorsements ... $100 MILLION from deals with companies like Uniqlo, Credit Suisse, Mercedes-Benz, Rolex and more.

Cristiano Ronaldo clocks in at #2 ($105 million) and Lionel Messi is #3 ($104 million) ... but Forbes points out their take would have been higher if not for the coronavirus pandemic.

"The two soccer icons earned a combined $209 million during the past 12 months, a $28 million drop from 2019, due to salary reductions at many European soccer clubs when league play was halted in March," Forbes says.

Might not be a big deal to you ... but we know some athletes take the Forbes list VERY seriously -- remember when Conor McGregor told Ronaldo to his face that he was coming for that top spot?!

Rounding out the Top 5 is Neymar ($95.5 M) followed by LeBron James ($88.2 M).

Other notable athletes include Tiger Woods at #8 ($62.3 mil), Carson Wentz at #10 ($59.1 mil), Conor McGregor at #16 ($48 mil), Tom Brady at #21 ($45 mil) and Naomi Osaka at #29 ($37.4 mil).

2019 marks the second year in a row Floyd Mayweather's failed to make the list ... after being the highest-paid athlete of the decade.

Nassau County chiefs want their residents to kick each other's balls if they must, but don't you dare go touching them ... tennis balls, that is. Hey, no giggling!

That was pretty much how it sounded when County Executive Laura Curran gave a rundown on how Nassau was going to navigate reopening tennis courts there, and what the new regulations would be when handling one another's balls. Again ... tennis balls.

In fact, you can tell Curran was trying her hardest to get the word "tennis" in there each and every time she mentioned "balls," but eventually she slipped ... and let a free ball run loose in her spiel, saying folks can kick other people's balls (back over to the owner if they happen to roll on over, is what she meant), but there is to be no touching of said balls!

That got a nice chuckle from the crowd who was listening, and finally ... Curran herself cracked up as well. She said she was gonna blush and again made another balls reference that got another giggle from just about everyone. Who says we outgrow sophomoric humor?!

This is the greatest balls moment since the 'SNL' classic ... of course, we're talking about Alec Baldwin's famous "Schweddy Balls" skit, where then too, it was balls galore.