Bernard Tomic batters US billionaire Bill Ackman in truly farcical scenes
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The 59-year-old hedge fund manager paired up with his 32-year-old American counterpart for this week's Hall of Fame Open doubles tournament in Newport, but from his opening serve it was clear he didn't belong at all.
Tomic and Jasika cruised through the first set 6-1 before appearing to play half-pace as they took the second 7-5, but fair to say they put in minimal effort often letting passing shots go and ballooning balls up to Ackman to volley.
The tournament granted Sock and Ackman a wildcard entry to play and Ackman said his teammate would get any of their potential winnings – around $3,000 if they won their first round match.
Ackman – who voiced his desire to compete alongside Nick Kyrgios earlier this year before the Aussie's injuries derailed those plans - is no stranger to the world of tennis.
He is a large financial backer of a tennis players trade association, and the board chair for the Professional Tennis Players Association.
But he looked completely out of place on Thursday (AEDT).
As he indulged in his fantasy of being a professional tennis player, at just shy of 60, many felt he made a mockery of the sport.
'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. Shame on the Tennis Hall of Fame, shame on the ATP Tour for allowing this man to buy a wildcard,' one fan wrote sharing a clip of Ackman.
'This is a joke,' another added.
'Bill Ackman is about as good at tennis as the average guy his age who plays at a country club, embarrassing for the tournament organisers and Bill himself,' a third wrote.
There is no denying Ackman loves tennis.
On a tennis event he co-founded called the 'Finance Cup', he's listed as a 'two-time NY State High School Doubles Quarterfinalist' who 'Competed in Junior Tournaments in US and Europe'.
But playing in a pro tournament is a stretch, given the fact that he hasn't played regularly for many years and this was his debut.
Coming into the tournament he played no tournaments in his age category or any for that matter and the match seemed nothing less than a rich man's indulgence.
However you spin it, the match wasn't a good look.
Tomic and Jasika will meet Blake Bayldon and Trey Hilderbrand in the next round of doubles tomorrow.
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