logo
Trumpy Billionaire, 59, Flamed for Pro-Tennis Debut Disaster

Trumpy Billionaire, 59, Flamed for Pro-Tennis Debut Disaster

Yahoo11-07-2025
Tennis fans are serving up savage critiques after billionaire Bill Ackman stole someone's spot at a tennis tournament and lost miserably.
The 59-year-old MAGA financier caused quite a racket Wednesday after he and his doubles partner, retired pro player Jack Sock, failed to win a single set at the Hall of Fame Open, a famed summer tournament in Newport, Rhode Island.
After an hour and seven minutes, the pair lost the match 6-1, 7-5. Ackman was forced to step off the court, dripping with sweat.
'I could give a speech to 2,000 people, no problem,' he said. 'But to get in front of 150 people and play tennis is a little different.'
Ackman is a major donor to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which puts on the tournament. But tournament officials claimed that Ackman played as part of a 'wild card' entry granted to Sock, who was eligible for it as he won the 2021 doubles title at the Hall of Fame.
Nevertheless, onlookers questioned how Ackman got a spot to play in the first place. Or, as USA Today columnist Dan Wolken wrote, 'Whether it's Wimbledon or the lowest-rung tournament in tennis' minor leagues, there aren't any shortcuts to getting in. Unless, of course, you're billionaire hedge fund guy Bill Ackman.'
'Another mega-billionaire living out his own private dream,' tennis fan Lydia Chambers told The New York Times. 'I hope he's making a huge donation.'
Journalist Glenn Greenwald posted on X, 'BillAckman used his vast wealth to worm his way into a professional, ATP-sanctioned tennis tournament at the Hall of Fame at the age of 59. His level was so abysmal that it forced the professional players on the court to pat the ball to him, enraging the tennis world.'
'Bill Ackman (59 y/o billionaire hedge fund manager) somehow bribed his way into a professional tennis tournament today. It went about as well as you could expect,' one X user scoffed.
Another said, 'I guess when you're worth $9.5 Billion, tour players will treat you like a 'Make-A-Wish' child in your ATP Challenger match. Bill Ackman is an absolute joke.'
A third added, 'Bill Ackman should not have been given a wild card for a professional tennis tournament, when he doesn't play on that level. If Ackman wanted to be mocked for competing in a circus event in which he'd be overmatched, he could have called Jake Paul.'
Ackman's excuse for his horrible defeat? Stage fright.
'I can speak in front of an audience of a thousand people or in a TV studio on a broad range of topics without any preparation and without a twinge of fear, but yesterday I had my first real experience with stage fright,' he wrote on X.
He even claimed that his body involuntarily froze and his 'difficulty breathing ' was 'not a fitness issue.'
'I regularly play with mid-20-year-old D1 college players and recently retired pros on a familiar court with no audience with none of the same symptoms,' he insisted.
Ackman's awkward excuse came amid a flurry of other posts he made expressing his love for Elon Musk and slamming Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as a 'communist.'
His failure also came less than a week after he announced on X that he was playing 'the best tennis of my life.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Leylah Fernandez wins the DC Open fueled by Shake Shack. Alex de Minaur takes the men's title
Leylah Fernandez wins the DC Open fueled by Shake Shack. Alex de Minaur takes the men's title

NBC Sports

time6 minutes ago

  • NBC Sports

Leylah Fernandez wins the DC Open fueled by Shake Shack. Alex de Minaur takes the men's title

WASHINGTON — The biggest tennis title of Leylah Fernandez's career arrived at the D.C. Open with the help of a terrific backhand, some superb returning — and energy courtesy of Shake Shack's burgers and fries. The left-handed Fernandez, a 22-year-old from Canada who is ranked 36th, wrapped up a big week of tight matches with a lopsided victory, defeating Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in the final. Fernandez earned her fourth singles trophy — all have come at hard-court tournaments — and first at a WTA 500 event. She came quite close to a Grand Slam championship as a teenager at the 2021 U.S. Open, making it all the way to the final in New York before losing to Emma Raducanu. There almost was a rematch in Washington, but Kalinskaya eliminated Raducanu in the semifinals. The men's trophy was won by No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur, who earned his 10th ATP title — eighth on hard courts — by saving three championship points in a 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (3) victory over No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. De Minaur, a 26-year-old Australian, was the runner-up in Washington in 2018. Davidovich Fokina dropped to 0-4 for his career in finals despite leading 5-2 in the third set and repeatedly standing just a single point from victory. This was his second time frittering away multiple match points in a tournament final this year. He entered the week at No. 26 and will make his debut in the top 20; he remains the highest-ranked man without a title. Fernandez took quite a journey through the women's bracket. She needed 2 hours, 19 minutes to oust No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula — last year's U.S. Open runner-up — in three sets in the second round, then 2 hours, 20 minutes to beat Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinals, and 3 hours, 12 minutes for a three-tiebreaker victory over No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina — the 2022 Wimbledon champion — in the semifinals. After each of the last two, Fernandez and her father — who is also her coach — opted for Shake Shack. 'We got burgers, hot dog, cheese fries — everything that an athlete should not eat before a match, but it did the trick,' Fernandez said about what she ate after the Townsend match. 'It gave me the right nutrients to recover from the cramps and get ready for the next round.' Following the Rybakina marathon, Fernandez said she and her father 'were messaging, and I was, like, 'OK, what do you want to eat tonight?' We both answered at the same time: burgers. ... That was kind of my diet for the whole week.' Sure worked: This was the first title for Fernandez since October 2023 at the Hong Kong Open. Plus, she arrived in Washington with a losing record this season and hadn't won more than two matches at the same tournament since last November. 'I have gone through so many different challenges this week. It just has made me stronger, in a way, that if I can get through this week — through the cramps, through the long matches, through the heat, the humidity — I can get through anything,' Fernandez said. 'So I was just very happy that I got to not only push myself physically through the limits, but also mentally. So that kind of will help me hopefully for future tournaments.' Against the 48th-ranked Kalinskaya, Fernandez saved the only break point she faced while breaking four times. One key: Fernandez claimed 10 of the 12 points when Kalinskaya hit a second serve. Another: Kalinskaya — a 26-year-old Russian who is 0-3 in tour finals — finished with 24 unforced errors and just nine winners. 'Amazing fight this week,' Kalinskaya told Fernandez. 'You truly deserve it.'

Former world champion boxer Dwight Muhammad Qawi dies at 72
Former world champion boxer Dwight Muhammad Qawi dies at 72

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Former world champion boxer Dwight Muhammad Qawi dies at 72

Hall of Fame boxer Dwight Muhammad Qawi, who took up the sport in prison and won world titles in two different weight classes, has died at age 72. Qawi's sister, Wanda King, said he died on Friday, July 25, after a five-year battle with dementia. "He was a great father, a great Pop-Pop to his grandchildren," King told BoxingScene. "He had a heart of gold, and he fought his dementia illness just like he was fighting in the ring." Born Dwight Braxton and raised in Camden, New Jersey, he learned to box at Rahway State Prison while serving a sentence for armed robbery. He turned pro after he was released in 1978 and later changed his name after converting to Islam in 1982. Nicknamed "The Camden Buzzsaw," Qawi won his first world title in 1981, defeating Matthew Saad Muhammad for the WBC light heavyweight crown. After winning a rematch with Saad Muhammad the following year, he lost to WBA champion Michael Spinks in a unification bout in March 1983. Despite being just 5-7, the compactly built Qawi moved up to cruiserweight in 1985 and dethroned champion Piet Crous before facing Evander Holyfield in what experts regard as one of the weight class's best fights of all time. Holyfield won the 15-round split decision in Atlanta on July 12, 1986, and then defeated Qawi in a rematch the following December. Qawi would have one more high-profile fight, a March 1988 loss to heavyweight George Foreman before retiring later that year with a career record of 41-11-1 and 25 knockouts. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004, and spent a large part of his retirement as a youth advocate and drug and alcohol counselor in New Jersey. Contributing: Field Level Media This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Hall of Fame boxing champ, dies at 72

ATP Toronto: Corentin Moutet vs. Jenson Brooksby odds, prediction
ATP Toronto: Corentin Moutet vs. Jenson Brooksby odds, prediction

New York Post

time3 hours ago

  • New York Post

ATP Toronto: Corentin Moutet vs. Jenson Brooksby odds, prediction

Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. There is nobody in tennis quite like Corentin Moutet. Although he's far from a household name that transcends the sport like Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, hardcore tennis fans have all the time in the world for a player like Moutet. Not only is he a great underdog story as a 5-foot-11 grinder who has had to work his way up the professional tennis ladder, but he's also got a showman quality that is all too rare in the sport these days. Moutet is a creative shot-maker, but he's also got a short fuse and is no stranger to making a scene on the court. The Frenchman also happens to be playing some of the best tennis of his career of late, and comes into the qualifying rounds at the Canadian Masters having just made it to the semifinals at ATP Washington. Moutet took full advantage of being awarded a 'lucky loser' spot in Washington by defeating Alexandre Muller, Dan Evans, and Daniil Medvedev before losing to Alex de Minaur in the semis. Jenson Brooksby during Wimbledon. Susan Mullane-Imagn Images The 26-year-old now faces a quick turnaround for his showdown with Jenson Brooksby in Toronto on Monday. After taking all of 2024 off, Brooksby has been quite impressive this season. The American won a title in Houston in March and was the runner-up in Eastbourne last month. Brooksby's once promising career looks to be reignited. Moutet and Brooksby come into Monday's match in decent form, and the stylistic matchup – neither player is going to smash the other off the court – should lead to a long, winding match. The Play: Over 22.5 Games (DraftKings) Why Trust New York Post Betting Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store