Tennis

Tennis legend Boris Becker is a free man -- the world's former #1-ranked player has been released from prison in the UK after serving 8 months for bankruptcy fraud.

The 55-year-old is out earlier than expected -- he was originally handed 2.5 years behind bars in April after being convicted on four charges stemming from his 2017 bankruptcy case ... and the judge said at the time Becker would have to serve half his sentence in jail.

Attorney Christian-Oliver Moser says Becker has returned to his home country of Germany following his release, where he is "not subject to any penal restrictions."

Had Becker chosen to stay in the UK -- where he's lived since 2012 -- he would have faced deportation, according to PA Media.

As we previously reported, Becker was accused of moving large sums of money from his business account after declaring bankruptcy in 2017 ... as well as concealing assets and debts. He was facing up to 7 years behind bars.

Legendary tennis coach Nick Bollettieri -- who trained superstars like Serena and Venus Williams, Andre Agassi and Anna Kournikova -- passed away on Sunday. He was 91 years old.

The International Tennis Hall of Famer was a pioneer in the sport ... creating the first year-round, live-in academy in Florida in the '70s, which would eventually become the famous IMG Academy.

Bollettieri coached 10 #1-ranked players over the years ... including Jim Courier, Boris Becker, Maria Sharapova, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Jelena Jankovic, and Marcelo Rios, in addition to the Williams sisters and Agassi.

He also trained Chris Evert, who shared a heartfelt goodbye on Twitter.

"Aside from being the greatest coach ever, you were so kind to me, my parents, and my siblings… that meant more to me than anything, you had a big heart and a zest for living…❤️❤️❤️."

Tommy Haas added ... "Thank you for your time, knowledge, commitment, expertise, the willingness to share your skill, your personal interest in mentoring me, and giving me the best opportunity to follow my dreams."

Kim Kardashian is somehow compartmentalizing what has to be an excruciating time for her -- with Kanye's hateful rants -- because she partied Friday night like she didn't have a care in the world.

Kim, Khloe and Serena Williams went club hopping Friday night in Miami for the kickoff of Art Basel weekend.

They hit up a party where Travis Scott and 50 Cent performed. Khloe was having an especially good time ... 50 was singing right at her. Jonathan “Foodgod” Cheban and restaurateur David Grutman also joined in on the fun.

As for Kim, not a stitch of Balenciaga in sight ... she's traded it in for some pretty awesome duds.

Drake wasn't only going after Megan Thee Stallion on his new album ... Serena Williams' husband was also name-dropped -- getting called a straight-up "groupie" in a new song.

The OVO rapper released his 16-track joint album, "Her Loss," with 21 Savage on Friday ... and the superstar's hubby, Alexis Ohanian, might not be a fan of a certain track called "Middle of the Ocean."

Here's what he says around the 3:35 mark:

"Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie
He claim we don't got a problem but
No, boo, it is like you comin' for sushi"

Fans went crazy over the bars on social media -- one person called Drake petty and another said Ohanian deserved it, as he's seemingly taken subtle jabs at the rapper in the past.

Remember, Drake and Serena were a thing back in the day -- TMZ Sports obtained pictures of them kissing in a fancy restaurant in 2015 ... before Ohanian was in the picture.

Drake also went to Williams' Wimbledon match in 2018 ... cheering her on from the crowd.

FYI, this ain't the first time Drake has mentioned Williams in his lyrics -- in his "Worst Behavior" song from 2013, he talks about the tennis legend:

"I'm with my whole set, tennis matches at the crib
I swear I could beat Serena when she playin' with her left."

Williams and Ohanian have not responded to Drake's diss ... but Meg did call him out for targeting her in the "Circo Loco" track.

Happy Friday, everyone!!!

Serena Williams is flirting with a tennis return once again -- the superstar says she is NOT retired ... and the chances of her playing are "very high."

The 23-time Grand Slam winner made the comment at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco just days ago ... and it definitely sounds like she's got the itch to pick up the racket again.

"I'm not retired," Williams said.

In fact, Serena goes on to say there's a good chance fans will be able to watch her compete again ... but followed up with a joke.

"The chances are very high," Willaims said. "You can come to my house, I got a court. I got you."

Remember ... Williams said back in August she was "evolving away" from the game of tennis after 27 years, and her last match would be at the U.S. Open.

Of course, we saw that end on an emotional note as Williams lost in the third round to Ajla Tomljanović ... and since then, Serena says it's been challenging to adjust to her new life.

"I did wake up the other day and I went on the court and I was like, 'Oh, for the first time in my life, I'm not playing for a competition and it felt really weird,'" she said.

"It was like the first day of the rest of my life, and so far, I am enjoying it. But, I’m still trying to find that balance."

Williams has hinted at making a return in the past -- back in September, she name-dropped Tom Brady when talking about possibly coming back.

Tennis legend Boris Becker has found a second career while locked away in an English slammer ... he's become a popular prison yoga instructor!

German tabloid Bild, citing a source close to the 54-year-old, reported this week that the convicted criminal has begun to thrive while behind bars ... teaching fitness routines to his fellow prisoners -- and losing a ton of weight.

The outlet reports Becker has made fast friends with inmates at Huntercombe prison in England, hosting yoga classes for around 45 people. Becker, according to the outlet, has also given up alcohol, become a regular in the facility's gym, and lost around 17 pounds.

"As a sportsman," the source close to Becker told Bild, "he knows only too well the highs and lows of victories and defeats. He is sharing his life experience with his fellow prisoners."

As we reported, Becker was initially sentenced to 2.5 years in prison back in April after he was accused of moving a ton of money in an effort to hide funds following his declaration of bankruptcy in 2017.

The former No. 1-ranked tennis player allegedly transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars from his business account to other accounts after declaring bankruptcy -- a big no-no.

In announcing Becker's sentence, the judge ripped into the former tennis star ... saying at the time, "You have not shown remorse, acceptance of your guilt and have sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy."

Never thought we'd say this, but pickleball might be the hottest sport right now ... because Tom Brady just joined superstars like LeBron James and Drew Brees in becoming a professional team owner!!

Major League Pickleball announced the 7-time Super Bowl champion's newest business venture on Wednesday ... saying TB12 and ex-tennis star Kim Clijsters are buying a 2023 expansion team alongside Knighthead Capital.

As it turns out, pickleball teams are a hot commodity right now ... with names like Bron, Brees, Kevin Love, Draymond Green and Gary Vee getting in on the action recently.

MLP Founder Steve Kuhn spoke about the new owners ... saying, "Tom Brady, Kim Clijsters, and Knighthead Capital Management are champions in their fields and will now be champions for Major League Pickleball."

The sport has been growing rapidly recently ... with a mission to have 40 million players by 2030.

The team Brady and Clijsters are joining will consist of 50% female ownership, the league says.

Uhhhhhhh ... that's not a cat toy!!

Serena Williams' adorable 5-year-old daughter occupied herself by playing with a cat toy -- also referred to as a tampon -- in a TikTok video posted by the newly retired tennis legend.

The clip shows Olympia unwrapping a tampon and pushing it out of the applicator in the bathroom.

Williams asked Olympia what she was playing with ... and she responded, "It's a cat toy for Karma."

Serena was clearly amused, at first -- holding back laughter and making faces at the camera -- that is until Olympia continued to unwrap more "toys."

Side note: a box of tampons ain't cheap.

"Okay, no," Williams said, "Let’s not play with too many of those" ... but Olympia vowed to open only one more.

The 41-year-old thought the whole thing was dope, though -- captioning the video ... "Who am I to steal her joy, it’s a Cat Toy! 🗣Don’t @ me #OlympiasWorld."

Her fans thought it was hysterical, as well ... with one person commenting, "😂😂 At least it’s a cat toy. My son used them on a school project as clouds 😂😂😂."

Another fan gave Olympia an "A for creativity" ... while someone else said, "you bout to have to go to the store!" to restock on tampons.

In a country where people routinely feel hatred for those with whom they disagree politically, it's nice to see some people can still agree to disagree, and still be friends.

Cindy Crawford, a registered Democrat, and Rande Gerber, a registered Independent, broke bread with Kid Rock, a Trump Republican Thursday night in Santa Monica.

The trio hit up Giorgio Baldi and even drove there together. We're told they've been friends for years.

And there's more ... we're told they went inside and tennis legend John McEnroe, who is Democrat-friendly, joined them for dinner.

As you know, Cindy and Rande are best buds with George and Amal Clooney, both die-hard Dems, so they clearly don't pick their friends or jettison them based on politics.

We saw this recently, where Democrat Tom Hanks sat down for lunch with Republican Tim Allen.

Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Luka Doncic ditched basketballs for rackets this weekend -- hitting tennis courts in Dallas for charity -- and it turns out the trio of hoopers have no issues whatsoever channelin' their inner-Serena Williams!!

The Dallas Mavericks icons -- plus Ben Stiller and a whole host of other celebs and athletes -- all competed in the fifth-annual Dirk Nowitzki Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic on Sunday ... and they looked GOOD.

The NBA ballers partnered up with some of the biggest names in tennis for the tournament, including Andy Roddick and Mark Knowles ... and they went at it at the SMU Tennis Complex for hours.

The guys showed off some serious athleticism, hitting big-time shots -- all while joking around with each other.

In fact, at one point, Stiller hilariously dissed Nowitzki with a fake handshake after a match!

Nash, though, ended up getting the last laugh on everyone ... the Brooklyn Nets head coach came out on top of the tourney after he and his partner, Spencer Papa, defeated British tennis star Luke Bambridge and his partner, Leo Antonio.

It all looked like a great time ... but the best part? The proceeds from the tourney are going to Nowitzki's foundation -- which focuses on children's wellbeing, health and education.

A man invaded the Laver Cup in London on Friday and set his arm on fire right next to the net -- just hours before Roger Federer will play his last-ever competitive tennis match on the court.

The wild scene just went down minutes ago during a match at O2 Arena -- when a guy wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt stormed the court with a lighter in his hand.

Video shot by witnesses in the stands shows the man sat down, made a fire -- and then let the flames crawl up onto his arm.

Security raced in to smother the blaze -- before they carried the guy off the court. No word if the man was seriously injured.

It's unclear what message the guy was attempting to send with the protest -- though his shirt did read, "End UK Private Jets."

Despite the scene, Federer's final match is still scheduled to go on later Friday -- when he's expected to team up with Rafael Nadal in a doubles event for the final match of his historic career.

Serena and Venus Williams' childhood home in Florida -- where the tennis greats lived as teenagers with father Richard Williams -- is set to hit the auction block this month after 5 years of fighting in court ... and will now go to the highest bidder.

The 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath home in Palm Beach Gardens -- estimated to be worth around $1.42 million -- is scheduled to be auctioned off in late September ... after Richard's 43-year-old ex, Lakeisha, failed to keep up with the payments.

The home, which was built in the 1980s, has fallen into disrepair over the years.

According to the notice of sale, the house will go to "the highest and best bidder for cash.”

Venus and Serena moved to the house as teenagers after Richard purchased the property, which features two tennis courts on its 10+ acre lot. It's pretty cool ... it's the court where "King Richard" trained his daughters.

Of course, the girls went on to become two of the greatest tennis players -- and athletes, period -- that the world has ever seen.

Their story was told in the hit movie, "King Richard," where Will Smith portrayed Richard Williams.

Serena, after a run at the U.S. Open earlier this month, retired from tennis after winning 23 majors.

Two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep will look a little different the next time she takes the tennis court ... she just revealed she got a nose job -- for both "functional" and "aesthetic" purposes.

The 30-year-old said in a social media post Thursday she'd been having difficulty breathing for years, but noticed it was worse after her loss to Daria Snigur in last month's U.S. Open.

She also noted she "did not like [my] nose at all" -- so, she decided to solve both problems at once with surgery this week.

"I could never do it earlier because I never found the necessary three months for recovery, because tennis was always the first priority in my life," Halep said.

"I felt it's the right time to do it and also to do something for myself as a person," she added.

Halep, who was ranked #1 in the world twice between 2017 and 2019, said there's currently no timetable for a return to the court ... though she did say she's sure the procedure will keep her out until at least 2023.

Tennis is losing another legend ... Roger Federer just announced he's calling it a career -- just days after Serena Williams officially hung up her racket.

The 41-year-old -- considered by many to be the greatest men's player ever -- revealed on his social media on Thursday morning that next week's Laver Cup event will be the final tournament of his legendary career.

"As many of you know, the past three years have presented me with challenges in the form of injuries and surgeries," Federer said.

"I've worked hard to return to full competitive form. But I also know my body's capacities and limits, and its message to me lately has been clear. I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career."

Federer said he still will play tennis -- "but just not in Grand Slams or on the tour."

"This is a bittersweet decision," he continued in his announcement, "because I will miss everything the tour has given me. But at the same time, there is so much to celebrate. I consider myself one of the most fortunate people on Earth. I was given a special talent to play tennis, and I did it at a level that I never imagined, for much longer than I ever thought possible."

Federer first turned pro in 1998 -- and quickly found success, winning his first Grand Slam singles trophy at Wimbledon in 2003. He went on to win 19 more major titles in his career -- while piling up over 100 ATP singles titles as well.

In his goodbye note to the sport, he thanked his wife, Mirka, his coaches, his fans and more for all of the support over the last two-plus decades of dominance.

Serena Williams' tennis career might not be over just yet ... she's now saying there's at least some chance she unretires -- just like Tom Brady!

"I mean, you never know," Williams said on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday. "I've just been saying that I think Tom Brady started a really cool trend. You know?"

Serena was laughing when she made the comment -- but there appeared to be at least a grain of seriousness in her tone while she was discussing her future with the show's hosts.

"And the way he did it," she continued on with the Brady bit. "A few weeks, you know? So ..."

Of course, Serena called it a career just two weeks ago -- when she retired following a solid run at the U.S. Open.

She seemed at the time to be at peace with hanging up the racket -- but on Wednesday, she sure sounded like there might be some more tennis itches that need to be scratched going forward.

"I do know that I love the sport so much," Williams said. "I love the game. I love everything about it. It's just been such a light in my life that I definitely want to keep some sort, something involved in there."

Williams, though, didn't specify if that meant actually returning to play -- or being involved in the game in some other way.

"I feel like tennis has given me so much, and I feel like there's no way I don't want to be involved in tennis somehow in the future," Williams said. "I don't know what that involvement is yet."

Aaron Rodgers is livid Novak Djokovic was not allowed to compete in the U.S. Open tournament ... highlighting the absurdity of some of the COVID-19 regulations that simply make no sense.

Rodgers sat down with Bill Maher for an episode of his 'Club Random' podcast ... where the two had a candid conversation about Djokovic being kept out of the high-profile tourney for remaining unvaccinated.

"The best f***ing player on the men's side can't play," Rodgers said of Djokovic. "One of the most fit guys in the f***ing world whose had covid at least once, if not twice, can't f***ing come to New York?"

Rodgers then brought up Kyrie Irving's long, drawn-out saga with the Nets ... which saw the star point guard miss a bevy of games during the season over his refusal to get vaccinated.

"Kyrie Irving attended a basketball game courtside but couldn't play for his team."

"How is that f***ing possible?" Rodgers asked. "He attended a basketball game and got to watch it in the stands but couldn't play f***ing play on his team because he wasn't vaxxed."

"Make it make sense. Make it sense. You can't," Aaron continued.

Rodgers and Maher accused the Nets, who told Irving he could play in road games but not home games, then said he couldn't play for the team at all ... of changing their tune once the team started struggling.

AR and BM were dumbfounded that Bradley Beal, who is unvaccinated like Irving, was allowed to play in games at Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden, despite the NYC mandate.