Tennis

Venus Williams is the latest celebrity burglary victim -- her Florida home was raided by scumbags who made off with $400,000 in property ... all while she was playing in the U.S. Open.

The Palm Beach Gardens PD confirmed ... Venus' home was broken into sometime between Sept. 1 and 5.

Unclear how the burglars got into the property -- and what items were taken.

Williams was in New York playing in the U.S. Open at the time of the incident. She advanced all the way to the semi-finals only to return home and learn about the burglary.

The story was first reported by WPEC-TV.

The countdown is on for Serena Williams -- her wedding is TONIGHT in New Orleans ... and her wedding dress has arrived just in time!

Photogs captured a bunch of pre-wedding deliveries on Wednesday -- including a woman carrying what appears to be a wedding dress bag.

To be honest, there could be anything in there ... how the hell do we know ... but the self-proclaimed wedding and dress experts in our office are adamant that's a wedding dress bag. So, there you have it.

Besides that ... decorations, gifts and other important things were delivered on Wednesday.

We're told the guest list for the Thursday night wedding is insane -- we're talking a crazy amount of A-Listers.

9:25 AM PT -- Serena's BFF, Caroline Wozniacki, is already in town. The tennis star attended the rehearsal dinner at Meril restaurant in New Orleans with her NBA star fiance, David Lee, on Wednesday night.

The day of questioning has arrived for Venus Williams ... the tennis star is about to sit for her deposition in the lawsuit stemming from that fatal car crash back in June.

As we previously reported, the family of Jerome Barson sued Venus -- claiming she's to blame for blocking an intersection and causing Jerome's car to T-bone her in a crash that killed Jerome.

So, what happens today? Barson's lawyers will undoubtedly grill Venus about her driving decisions on that fateful day and try to paint her as negligent.

Venus will most likely fight back and continue to lay the blame on a third unidentified driver who she has claimed cut in front of her -- forcing her car to linger in the intersection.

U.S. Open Champ Brooks Koepka and his hot model GF, Jena Sims, ain't ready to let the summer go -- bustin' out the bikinis and boardshorts for a red hot Thailand adventure!!

It's been almost 5 months since Brooks won the big one ... but him and Jena are still living the good life -- hangin' with monkeys, backflippin' off boats and even getting in some ass-cuppin' PDA as they cruise around the Phi Phi Islands with their buds.

Jena's a former Miss Georgia Teen USA, FYI -- and it looks like Brooks has some local competition for his beauty queen ...

Scottie Pippen LOVES Novak Djokovic -- and wasn't afraid to show it yesterday at lunch.

We got Pippen leaving il Pastaio in the Beverly Hills ... that is, until the NBA legend spotted Novak at an outside table.

Scottie made a hard cut over to the tennis superstar -- giving him daps, busting out his cellphone for a pic and just generally fanboying out.

Pip didn't wanna talk about him and Larsa getting back together ... but his bromance with Djoker's on lock.

Bonus: Scottie just shared his shot with the "tennis GOAT" -- and it's dope.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic and his coach Andre Agassi -- a legend himself -- had a lunch meeting Friday ... and it looks like Agassi brought a gift for the new dad of 2.

Novak and Andre were spotted together Friday in Beverly Hills in casual digs with their hands full. What's interesting though is what Agassi's carrying -- a Square Panda Phonics and reading game for kids.

Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, just had their second child -- a baby girl -- in September ... so it's gotta be for her right?

As for the coaching ... the Djoker hired Agassi in May to help him repair his form and worked with him for 2 months before an elbow injury knocked him out of Wimbledon. He's reportedly planning for a comeback in January at the Australian Open.

The 2 tennis greats together begs the question -- if you run into them on the street and only have time for one autograph ... who do you ask?

Now we know why Serena Williams is selling her $12 million Bel Air pad -- she's downsizing ... LIKE A BOSS!!!

The tennis superstar just plunked down $6.7 million on a 6,000 square foot pad in a private gated Bev Hills community, according to Trulia.com.

The place looks AWESOME -- with 5 bedrooms, 7 baths, incredible view, dope backyard with a pool -- but still no tennis court.

As we previously reported, Williams is selling a nearby home she owns for $12 mil. She bought that place a few years back for $6 mil.

So, she flips that house -- pockets $6 mil -- and buys a new dope house for half the price?

Serena Williams is looking to double up on the massive Bel-Air mansion she bought for $6 mil in 2006 -- 'cause it's now on the market with a $12 mil price tag.

Unclear why Serena is unloading the property -- it's really cool, located in a really nice area and it's HUGE.

The home is 6,101 square-feet and looks like a palace -- with 6 beds, 7 baths -- and has a grassy area that spans roughly 2.7 acres and includes private hiking trails ('cause who's got time for L.A. traffic?).

The big surprise -- no tennis court!

So, where is Serena going? She's got multiple properties in Florida and her fiance Alexis Ohanian has a spot in NorCal ... so she's got options.

Billie Jean King says society is making progress in the battle against sexism, and she's pointing to the Harvey Weinstein scandal -- and the women speaking out -- as her proof.

King is a trailblazer in every sense of the word, spending her entire career not just winning on the court, but winning in society as an advocate for women's rights (she founded the WTA tour, btw).

When we got her out at LAX and asked if she's been able to see any progress since the days she began her crusade in the early '70s, King said yes, but reminded us the war isn't over.

"Sure, but every generation has to continue to start over and fight for equality and inclusion."

Our guy brought up the scores of women who have made sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein -- and BJK says the scandal just proves things are moving forward.

"That is progressing, when people speak up."

Venus Williams is finally making herself available to talk to opposing lawyers about the fatal car crash ... and the wrongful death lawsuit.

According to a court doc obtained by TMZ Sports ... Venus will sit for a deposition on November 9 in West Palm Beach. As we first reported ... attorneys for the estate of Jerome Barson said the tennis superstar had refused to respond to their repeated requests since July.

Barson's attorney, Michael Steinger, tells us, "After months of avoiding our repeated requests for deposition and after requesting the court order the same, we are pleased that Ms. Williams realized the importance of her testimony in this very serious case."

Serena Williams, fiance Alexis Ohanian and Marc Anthony all rocked with Bruno Mars backstage before his concert in Miami Wednesday night ... but Serena's bod stole the show.

The tennis superstar just gave birth to baby Alexis a little over a month ago ... and she's already squeezin' into a skin-tight dress from gal pal Eva Longoria.

You could tell Serena and Alex were PUMPED to get some face time with Bruno backstage ... and later during the show, jammin' to "Just the Way You Are" with Marc.

But Serena says not even an "amazing" Bruno show can compare to mom life ... 'cause cuddlin' up with Alexis after the concert is "priceless."

Venus Williams has a new defense in her fatal car accident, and she's laying blame squarely on a third driver who drove away from the scene unscathed ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Venus filed new docs in the case which reference an unidentified driver in a dark-colored sedan. She says that driver, who was heading in the opposite direction, violated her right of way by cutting in front of her in the intersection ... to make a left turn.

What she's describing is clear in the surveillance video TMZ Sports first posted.

Venus says that other driver's "improper left hand turn" made her slow down, and stop to avoid hitting the sedan.

The video shows what happened next. Venus continued through the intersection, but police say by that time, the light had turned red ... hanging Venus out to dry in the intersection. Seconds later Linda Barson t-boned Venus' SUV. Barson's husband later died from his injuries in the accident.

In the docs, Venus says if she's at fault at all for the wreck ... the unidentified sedan driver should at least share the blame.

The man killed in the Venus Williams car crash suffered major internal injuries -- including lacerated organs and broken bones in his back ... this according to the autopsy obtained by TMZ Sports.

The Medical Examiner has released the report regarding 78-year-old Jerome Barson -- who was in the passenger seat of a 2016 Hyundai which slammed into Venus' Toyota Sequoia on June 9.

The reports shows Barson was rushed to the hospital with a lacerated spleen, a tear in his small intestine, damage to his colon, a broken pelvis and multiple spinal fractures.

The ME says Barson remained in critical condition in the hospital ICU until he died on June 22 from complications from injuries he suffered in the crash.

Barson's family is suing Williams -- claiming she's to blame for the accident since her car was in the intersection when it wasn't supposed to be ... causing Barson's car to slam into it.

The father of Serena and Venus Williams has finally agreed with his estranged wife on something -- it's best if we stay the hell away from each other!

TMZ Sports has learned 75-year-old Richard Williams and 38-year-old Lakeisha Williams have asked the court to grant a "mutual restraining order" -- barring both sides from contact during their nasty, nasty divorce.

As we previously reported, Lakeisha accused Richard of cutting her off and leaving her and their young child in financial ruin. She also claims he's gun-obsessed and dangerous.

Richard claims Lakeisha is an alcoholic who's been stealing money from him. Both sides deny each other's allegations.

British tennis star Dan Evans will have to sit out 1 year after testing positive for cocaine ... the International Tennis Federation announced on Tuesday.

Evans got popped for coke back in April after competing in an ATP World Tour event in Barcelona. The ITF says Dan will forfeit his points and prize money from the event.

One silver lining -- Evans' suspension will be back-dated ... meaning he'll be eligible to return in April 2018.

When his test failure came to light, Dan publicly apologized -- "I made a mistake and I must face up to it. I do not condone for one second that this was acceptable behavior."

"I’ve let a lot of people down: my family, my coach, my team, sponsors, British tennis and my fans. I can only deeply apologize from the bottom of my heart."

You're looking at Maria Sharapova's worst nightmare -- a fully SNAPPED BACK Serena Williams ... looking fit, focused and ready to beat that ass ... less than a month after giving birth.

Serena gave birth to little Alexis Jr. on Sept. 1 -- and spent several days in the hospital due to "complications."

But early Thursday morning, Serena posted her first full-body post-preggo selfie -- and she looks superhero fit.

Seriously, this is a woman who won a major tennis tourney while pregnant -- who crushed it in the gym at 35 weeks pregnant -- and whose mother guaranteed she'd return to dominate the pro game after the kid was born.

So, when will Serena return? The next Grand Slam is the Australian Open in January ... the same tourney she won while she was in her 1st trimester.

You've been warned.