Tennis

Serena Williams just found something new to dominate ... 'cause the tennis legend just signed a first-look TV deal with Amazon!!

39-year-old Williams announced the big move on Tuesday ... saying she's pumped to put new and inspiring stories onto the screen -- including her own, via a new docuseries following her life on and off the court.

"I’m very excited to be partnering with Amazon Studios – they are developing some of the most inspiring and important content for a global audience," Williams said.

The deal includes scripted and unscripted content ... which will all be made available via Amazon.

"I have a lot of stories I’m eager to tell, including a continuation of my own, and I look forward to sharing those with the world."

Williams' docuseries -- title TBD -- will be produced by Plum Pictures, Goalhanger Films and Amazon Studios. Williams will also serve as executive producer on the project.

Of course, Williams is one of the best tennis players EVER -- she's won 23 Grand Slams, 73 championships and has won nearly $95 million in prize money throughout her career.

So yeah, Amazon is stoked to have her on board.

As Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke put it ... "Serena has transformed her sport and become one of the most inspiring athletes, entrepreneurs and women of her generation, admired not only for her unmatched prowess on the court but for her dedication to advocacy as well."

Jack Draper -- a 19-year-old making his debut on the ATP Tour this week -- frighteningly collapsed on the court during a match at the Miami Open on Thursday ... but thankfully, he said afterward he's all right.

The scary scene all went down during Draper's match against Mikhail Kukushkin ... when Draper began to feel ill amid scorching Florida hot and humid weather.

At one point during the match, medics ran courtside tests on a visibly exhausted Draper ... but the young, budding tennis star elected to continue despite clearly being unwell.

Just a few moments later in the match, though ... he crumpled to the ground attempting to hit a ball -- and there was serious concern among onlookers.

"Oh, dear, that's not good," one of the match's announcers said on the television broadcast. "Worrying times."

Thankfully, medics rushed to Draper's aid ... and the tennis player ended up being able to walk off under his own power -- though he did have to withdraw from the contest.

"At the changeover, I was starting to feel my body a bit," Draper told reporters after the match.

"I said that I'm going to carry on because I wasn't feeling faint ... but obviously when I got out there, that wasn't the case."

Scary situation at the Qatar Open -- when pro tennis player Tim Puetz took a RACQUET TO THE EYE in a truly freak accident on the court.

The 33-year-old German pro was in a doubles match with his partner Freddie Nielsen on Wednesday when Puetz tried to stretch to return a serve.

As Puetz reached out his racquet ... he let go of the grip -- and the racquet went crashing to the ground.

But, it hit the surface at a funny angle and BOUNCED BACK at Puetz's face -- with the butt of the racquet bashing the tennis pro right in his eye.

Puetz began bleeding from his face -- and it was obvious he was in pain.

An official ran over with a bag of ice and medical personnel raced over to evaluate the situation.

"I cannot see very well," Puetz can be heard saying in the moments after the incident ... "Freddie I can see pretty well when I’m stationary. But if I look around, I can’t see very well."

Unfortunately for Puetz, the injury forced him to retire from the match. Afterward, his opponents -- Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah -- expressed concern for Tim's health.

"I feel very sorry for Tim," Farrah said in a post-game interview.

"It’s something none of us want, to get hit in the eye, and I really hope he recovers really well."

Tennis legend Ivan Lendl -- the former #1 ranked player in the world and 8x Majors winner -- is unloading his INSANE Connecticut mansion ... and the 445 acres of land it sits on!!

TMZ Sports has learned the 61-year-old retired Czech-American tennis star listed the Cornwall, CT estate -- about a 2-hour drive from New York City and Boston -- and it's absolutely breathtaking.

Asking price ... $16.45 mil!!

The 18,000 square-foot mansion boasts 10 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and comes with every ridiculously lavish amenity you could ever want in a home.

We're talking a full gymnasium, workout room, 2 locker rooms, sauna, granite outdoor pool, fishing pond, barn with horse paddocks ... and of course, a tennis court!!

If you're not familiar with Lendl -- who retired in 1994 -- he's one of the greatest tennis players of all-time. In fact, he was ranked the #1 player in the world for 270 weeks.

IL racked up 144 career tourney wins ... including 8 Grand Slam singles titles. He won the US Open and French Open each 3 times and the Australian Open twice.

You're probably asking ... how'd he afford this gorgeous house?!

Well, the Tennis Hall of Famer reportedly made $21 mil from prize money alone (he's also been super successful off the court).

The older sister of tennis superstar Naomi Osaka has announced her retirement from the sport ... saying she's just not having fun.

24-year-old Mari Osaka made her pro debut in 2011, according to the WTA website. She cracked the WTA's Top 1,000 ranking list in 2012 and made it all the way up to #280 in 2018.

But, she never really caught fire on the court -- failing to win a major tournament during her career. She's currently ranked #340 in the world and has only amassed $93,055 in career prize money.

Her sister Naomi has made close to $20 MILLION in prize money with signature victories over superstars like Serena Williams and Jennifer Brady.

Mari Osaka last competed in an International Tennis Federation tournament in Georgia back in January ... and has since decided to hang up her racket for good.

"I am retired from playing tennis," Mari announced on social media.

"It was a journey which I didn’t enjoy ultimately but I’m grateful for all the memories and support I’ve gained and received over the years from the sport."

"I’m moving on now so you can look forward to new fun projects upcoming in the future."

Mari and Naomi have a pretty tight relationship -- with Naomi playfully teasing Mari at the Australian Open back in February ... writing a message for everyone to see which read, "Mari stop sending weird images in the groupchat!"

So, what's next for Mari? She's big into fashion -- and most recently whipped up some cool designer COVID masks to raise money for UNICEF.

Serena Williams is praising Meghan Markle for her interview with Oprah ... saying MM showed strength and bravery by calling out "malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism."

Williams -- just hours after Markle's stunning revelations about the Royal Family aired Sunday night -- issued a lengthy statement on social media applauding her good friend for the talk.

"I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us," the tennis superstar said.

"We must recognize our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism. The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal."

If you missed it ... Markle and Prince Harry accused the Royal Family of racism in a bombshell interview with Oprah -- claiming things got so bad, she contemplated suicide.

Meghan also said in the lead-up to her and Harry's wedding, it was Kate Middleton who made her cry -- not the other way around.

Serena, who became good friends with Markle after they met at a Super Bowl party years ago, said she was "so proud" of the bravery Markle showed by speaking up.

"I know it is never easy," Williams said. "You are strong -- both you and Harry. I love you. I adore you."

Williams and Markle have grown so close over the years, Meghan's attended a bunch of Serena's tennis matches, and even invited the sports icon to her and Harry's wedding.

Emotional moment for Serena Williams -- who choked back tears before abruptly ending a press conference after her loss to Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open.

The 39-year-old superstar was defeated by Osaka in straight sets in a semi-finals match Thursday morning -- and as she left the court, put her hand on her heart to show love for the Australian crowd.

During the post-game press conference, Serena was asked if the gesture meant she was saying "farewell" ... especially with all the retirement talk following her these days.

"I don't know," Serena responded ... "If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone."

Moments later, Serena was asked about the unusual amount of unforced errors she committed during her match with Osaka ... was she injured or was it just a bad day at the office?

That's when Serena grabbed a sip of water, took a deep breath ... and seemed to fight back the tears.

With her voice shaking, Serena finally replied, "I don't know" ... and that's when she stood up and said, "I'm done" ... and walked off.

Obviously, she just lost a match she cared deeply about winning -- and she's understandably emotional. But, it's unclear if she's seriously considering retirement.

As for her opponent, Naomi Osaka did her post-game presser wearing a Lakers jacket in an apparent tribute to her former mentor, Kobe Bryant.

Serena Williams destroyed another opponent at the Australian Open -- and her hubby thinks it's about time she gets the respect she deserves!!!

Check out Alexis Ohanian in the stands -- along with his sister-in-law Venus Williams -- watching his wife dominate Simona Halep in 2 straight sets.

His shirt reads, "Greatest Female Athlete" -- with the word "female" crossed out.

In other words, she's the G.O.A.T athlete -- men included!

There's more ... Ohanian also went to social media and talked some trash about Ion Tiriac -- the super-rich ex-tennis star who's the director of the Madrid Open.

Remember, Tiriac recently went on a Romanian television show and trashed 39-year-old Serena -- saying, "At this age and the weight she is now, she does not move as easily as she did 15 years ago."

"Serena was a sensational player. If she had a little decency, she would retire! From all points of view."

Ohanian used Serena'as victory at the Australian Open as an excuse to fire back at Tiriac -- tweeting, "Good thing no one listens to that racist sexist Ion Tiriac."

As for Serena, she's won 39 Grand Slam titles in her amazing career -- 23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She also has 4 Olympic gold medals.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic absolutely lost his mind at the Australian Open on Tuesday ... obliterating his racket in a fit of rage and causing a delay.

Djokovic -- who's been on edge in the major tournament Down Under as he's fighting through an abdominal injury -- was in a heated quarter-final match with Alexander Zverev when he lost his cool.

Tennis' #1-ranked player returned a key serve in the third set into the net ... and then melted down.

He let out a massive yell, slammed his racket into the court three times ... and then walked to his bench and threw the destroyed piece of equipment down angrily.

The temper tantrum left such a mess on the court, a ball person actually had to sweep up all the debris. The court itself, meanwhile, had three scars in it!!

Djokovic, though, was NOT penalized for the outburst ... and he ended up battling his way to a victory. Afterward, Novak admitted he felt "drained."

Of course, the 33-year-old is no stranger to outbursts on the court ... remember, he was disqualified from the U.S. Open back in September after he angrily and haphazardly hit a ball at a lineswoman.

No more fans at the Australian Open ... at least for the next week.

With the number of COVID cases in the Australian state of Victoria rising to 19 -- officials decided it was best to go back into a state-wide lockdown.

Officials declared the state would return to Stage 4 restrictions on Friday -- which means Victoria will effectively be in a state of lockdown for at least 5 days in the hopes of stopping a possible spread of the virus.

As soon as the announcement was made, tournament officials began asking fans to leave the tennis courts, ASAP.

Roughly 6 million people live in Victoria -- and now they will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential activities like shopping for food, work, medical treatment, etc.

The Australian Open tournament director, Craig Tiley, said the event will continue ... but in a bubble environment where fans will not be allowed to attend until the restrictions have been lifted.

"Play will continue, the players will compete in a bubble not dissimilar to what they've been doing for the last year," Tiley said.

"Those that will be allowed on site will be players and direct support teams, as well as staff members unable to do their work from home. ... Those essential to the delivery of the event will be on site."

Top players from all over the world had flown to Australia for the tourney -- including Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Rafael Nadal and more.

In fact, Serena had praised the country for its handling of COVID and gushed about how nice it was to play in front of crowds again.

A Rafael Nadal heckler was ejected from the Australian Open on Thursday ... and the scene was both bizarre and hilarious -- 'cause the woman straight-up shot the tennis star the bird from the stands!

The wild moment all went down during Nadal's win over Michael Mmoh at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne ... when Nadal had to stop play mid-match over some screaming in the stands.

Turns out, a woman was yelling trying to distract the 34-year-old Spaniard ... and when Rafa kept pausing to look at her actions, she eventually flipped him off!!

Security tried to get involved ... but the fan kept going -- and the whole time, Nadal was cracking up!

At one point, announcers suspected the woman was drunk ... saying on the broadcast, "Maybe a bit too much -- a bit inebriated, I think."

One of the announcers then added, "This is chaos."

Finally, after a two- or three-minute delay, security got ahold of the woman and booted her from the premises.

SLAYYYYYYYY.

Serena Williams killed the fashion game -- and her opponent -- in her first official match at the Australian Open ... rockin' a 1-legged catsuit in an awesome tribute to track legend Florence Griffith Joyner.

The G.O.A.T. took the court Sunday against Laura Siegemund and just beat the daylights out of the German in 2 straight sets.

After the match, Serena explained her outfit.

"I was inspired by Flo-Jo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up," Serena said.

"Watching her fashion, just always changing, her outfits were always amazing."

She added, "The Nike team actually thought of this design of inspiration from Flo-Jo. I was like, 'Oh, my god, this is so brilliant.'"

Flo-Jo was one of the greatest sprinters in American history -- speeding to 3 gold medals at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul in the 100m, 200m and 4x100 relay.

Griffith Joyner passed away in 1998 after suffering an epileptic seizure in her sleep. She was only 38 -- but her reputation as an elite athlete and fashion icon lives on.

YOU GOTTA SEE THE MASSIVE TROPHY ROOM IN SERENA WILLIAMS' MIAMI MANSION!!!

Oh, and you also have to see when she discovers a 2nd place trophy on one of her shelves -- and says she's moving it to the TRASH!!!

"I see a 2nd place trophy but I’m gonna put that one in the trash -- shouldn’t be in here. We don't keep second place."

The tennis goddess opened up the doors to her Miami home for Architectural Digest ... showing off everything from her own private art gallery (!!!!!) to the bar, media room and more.

But, the highlight for us is the Trophy Room ... which contains hardware from her victories at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, Australian Open, French Open and more.

It's unreal.

Serena has so many trophies, she can barely keep track of what trophies she has and where some of them are located ... and if that's not the most baller thing ever, what the hell is?!

Of course, Serena has won 39 Grand Slam titles in her amazing career -- 23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She also has 4 Olympic gold medals.

Bad news Down Under ... a worker associated with the Australian Open has tested positive for COVID and now ALL of the players (including Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka) have been ordered to isolate.

AO officials made the announcement Wednesday ... explaining an employee at one of the Australian Open quarantine hotels came down with the virus this week.

And, because of the case, they've now canceled Thursday's Australian Open tune-up games ... and have said players and AO workers who were at the hotel must now go back into quarantine.

"Those associated with the AO who quarantined at the hotel now need to be tested and isolate until they receive a negative test result," officials said.

"We will work with everyone involved to facilitate testing as quickly as possible. There will be no matches at Melbourne Park on Thursday."

Of course, Australia's COVID rules required everyone who flew in from out of the country to isolate for 14 days AND test negative before they could go out in public.

The rule had seemed to work beautifully ... Australian officials had just announced they hadn't had a positive case in the entire country in nearly 2 full weeks.

In fact, things were going so swimmingly, maskless fans packed an arena last week to watch some Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic warm-up games.

Now, however, the AO's Feb. 8 start time could be in jeopardy due to the new case ... although officials said there's no change on that front as of this moment.

Surreal scene Down Under ... tennis fans PACKED a stadium to watch tune-up games for the Australian Open -- with masks nowhere to be found!!!

... and Serena Williams loved every second of it!!!

Don't worry -- this wasn't a super-spreader event ... because of strict quarantine rules and other regulations in place to fight COVID, Australia is actually a coronavirus-free area.

In fact, officials announced Friday the entire country hasn't had a positive case in nearly two weeks!!!

So, an estimated crowd of around 4,000 jammed into an arena in Adelaide on Friday to watch tennis stars like Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic prep for the Aussie Open ... and it was all awesome.

Check out the pics ... fans were shoulder to shoulder, with no masks and no social distancing -- and no worries at all of getting sick.

As for the players, they were all forced to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arriving in Australia to ensure they didn't spread the virus ... and most had expressed publicly how difficult that was.

Williams, though, spoke after her match with Osaka and was grateful the rules and regulations allowed her and others to play maskless and without fear of catching COVID.

"We haven't played in front of a crowd in over a year," Williams said. "So it's been a really long time. So this is really cool."

Serena thanked the Australian crowd for "having us and trusting us with your laws" -- adding, "We were so happy just to be here and now it's worth it."

She owns the tennis court. Now, Naomi Osaka owns a pro women's soccer team too!

The 23-year-old superstar just bought an ownership stake in the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League -- and it's all part of her plan to grow women's sports throughout the country.

The Courage are the reigning NWSL champions -- and have been one of the most dominant teams in the league over the past few years.

Unclear how much Osaka paid for her ownership stake -- but she can certainly afford it ... Forbes says she was the highest-paid female athlete in the world in 2020, raking in more than $37 MILLION.

So, why the NWSL? Osaka says it was extremely important to her to invest in women's sports -- and she felt the NWSL was the perfect place to start.

"Throughout my career I've always received so much love from my fellow female athletes, so that's why I am proud to share that I am now an owner of the NC Courage," Osaka tweeted Thursday.

"The women who have invested in me growing up made me who I am today, I don't know where I would be without them,"

Osaka also told People she had been wanting to invest in an NWSL team for a while -- and ultimately felt the Courage was the perfect fit for her.

"I love that young girls can now look to professional soccer as a realistic sporting career," Osaka said ... "When I was young it felt like tennis -- and maybe golf -- was the only option."

Osaka joins a star-studded group of women who recently invested in NWSL teams -- including Candace Parker, Billie Jean King, and Patrick Mahomes' fiancee Brittany Matthews.

Stephen Malik -- who bought the Courage in 2017 -- said he's "thrilled" to welcome Osaka to the ownership group ... saying, "She brings an invaluable viewpoint on topics beyond sports."

"I cannot think of anyone better to help us as we continue to make a difference in our community and inspire the next generation of women."