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CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
‘Biggest joke I've ever watched in professional tennis': Swift backlash after billionaire Bill Ackman's pro debut
Billionaire Bill Ackman and organizers of a tennis tournament have been strongly criticized by former grand slam champions and social media after the hedge fund manager made his professional tennis debut, a match he ended up losing. Ackman, who has a prominent social media presence on X, played with three-time grand slam doubles champion Jack Sock in the men's doubles at the Hall of Fame Open – an event sanctioned by tennis' world governing bodies, the ATP and the WTA – on Wednesday where they lost in straight sets 6-1, 7-5 to Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic. The 59-year-old and Sock were vastly outplayed by their Australian opponents, coming second in almost every statistical measure in their match in Newport, Rhode Island. Ackman had been invited to play by Sock, who had received a wild card entry to the tournament, which is a WTA 125 event and also sits on the ATP Challenger Tour, a lower-tier men's tour focused at giving younger or aspiring players an opportunity to progress their careers. Ackman – the founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management and has a personal net worth of $9.5 billion according to Forbes – said it was a dream come true to play pro tennis just once. 'I feel like maybe it's one and done,' Ackman said afterwards, per The New York Times. 'But I figured one, in my life, that seemed fair.' On social media, Ackman called the whole experience 'very humbling' and detailed the 'stage fright' he felt playing on a professional stage. '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,' Ackman wrote on X. 'I found myself on a tennis court in a live streamed professional tournament with a few hundred in the crowd. Throughout the match, my wrist, arm and body literally froze with the expected negative outcomes. I had difficulty breathing, and it was not a fitness issue. It got a bit better as the match progressed, but I was not able to overcome it.' While his appearance ticks off a lifetime goal for Ackman, his foray into professional tennis was met with derision from fans of the sport, including journalists and former pros. Former world No. 1 Andy Roddick was extremely critical, highlighting his own involvement in the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the organization's role in the sport. 'Bill Ackman, who's been a massive tennis fan, supporter, funds the PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association), does the whole thing, wanted to play a pro tournament. So, there was obviously some exchange of something,' the 2003 US Open winner said on his 'Served' podcast. 'You don't give a wild card to someone who 50 players at my club are better than. 'This was a total miss. Now, the job of the Hall of Fame is to preserve and celebrate excellence in our sport. This was the biggest joke I've ever watched in professional tennis.' When contacted by CNN Sports, the ATP pointed to its rule on wild cards, saying tournaments 'may not receive compensation and players may not offer compensation in exchange for the awarding of a wild card.' CNN Sports has contacted Pershing Square Capital Management to offer Ackman the right of reply. CNN Sports has also reached out to Sock, the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the WTA for comment. Roddick also called into question the effort levels of the players involved, apart from Ackman, saying that the match should be reviewed for its apparent lack of competitiveness. 'There was exactly one person on that court trying as hard as they could,' he said. 'If you want to argue with me, go back and watch that video. And you can't tell me there was more than one person trying as hard as they could every point, or any point. It was a disaster.' On social media, Ackman wrote that the 'competition were clearly holding back' which 'made it even more difficult as I had too much time to think.' CNN Sports has reached out to Jasika and Tomic via Tennis Australia for comment. 18-time grand slam singles champion Martina Navratilova weighed in on Ackman's involvement, writing: 'Apparently you can buy yourself a wild card. Oh to have the confidence…' Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim also criticized the appearance of the hedge fund manager at the tournament, writing on X: 'This would've been fine for a pro-am. For a sanctioned event with points and prize$? It was, at best, wildly inappropriate and lacking in integrity.'
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
What Might a Billionaire Lose at? Turns Out, Tennis.
Bill Ackman, the billionaire financier, has succeeded at pretty much everything he's done, professionally and otherwise. He built his hedge-fund, Pershing Square Capital Management, into a winner. He backed President Trump's third campaign — and second term. And he's a prolific poster on social media, regularly plopping long treatises on X, which helped him become internet-famous. Tennis, however, is different. That was the lesson seemingly taught on Wednesday afternoon when Mr. Ackman, 59, and his doubles partner, the retired professional Jack Sock, lost in straight sets to a pair of journeymen in front a sweaty and well-heeled crowd at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., a famed summer retreat for Gilded Age industrialists. The loss came in the Hall of Fame Open, an official tournament of the lower-level ATP Challenger tour, which effectively made Mr. Ackman a tennis pro, if only for a day. It fulfilled a lifelong ambition — and, more than likely, he said, ended his career. 'I feel like maybe it's one and done,' Mr. Ackman said, in the wake of his and Mr. Sock's 6-1, 7-5 defeat, noting he wanted to support younger players getting their tournament slots — and shots. 'But I figured one, in my life, that seemed fair.' Some spectators, however, had different interpretations. 'Another mega-billionaire living out his own private dream,' said Lydia Chambers, a tennis fan from New Vernon, N.J., who was watching the match. 'I hope he's making a huge donation.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Bernard Tomic batters US billionaire Bill Ackman in truly farcical scenes
Tennis fans have slammed US billionaire Bill Ackman for making a mockery of the sport after he and veteran Jack Sock were destroyed by Bernard Tomic and Omar Jasika in a professional match that looked more like a casual hit around with friends than one where prizemoney was on the line. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. 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.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Bill Ackman Slammed Online For Tennis Loss After Accepting Wildcard
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman's wildcard entry into a professional tennis tournament ended in swift defeat Wednesday, drawing sharp criticism from tennis fans and officials who questioned whether the hedge fund manager had earned his spot on the court. Bill Ackman, chief executive officer of Pershing Square Capital Management LP, takes a break during ... More his match at the third annual Finance Cup tennis tournament in Miami, Florida, U.S., on Saturday, April 1, 2017. Just before matches began at the Finance Cup tennis tournament near Miami Beach, bankers and investors huddled around hedge-fund manager Ackman to hear him riff about the stakes for his portfolio. Photographer: Mark Elias/Bloomberg © 2017 Bloomberg Finance LP Ackman announced his wildcard selection on X last Wednesday, writing that former Grand Slam winner Jack Sock managed to list him as his doubles partner at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, Rhode Island—he also said he was 'pretty sure' he would be 'the oldest person in tennis history,' at 59 years old, to win Association of Tennis Professionals points. The Hall of Fame Open is a competitive ATP tournament Challenger series event held on grass courts, with participants generally selected based on ATP rankings, wildcards entries and qualifiers. Sock, 32, retired from professional tennis in 2023 to pursue a career in pickleball and was suddenly given a wildcard for the Newport event, and listed Ackman, a longtime tennis lover, as his partner (players can select anyone as their partner, regardless of status). Social media users mocked Ackman after he and Sock lost 6-1, 7-5 to Australians Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic, and an op-ed published in USA Today slammed Ackman's entry as a 'mockery of pro tennis,' blasting Sock for giving 'no indication that he's planning a comeback' and Ackman because 'you can't find results' on him 'in any of the public tennis databases kept by the USTA.' Randy Walker, the director for the Vero Beach Futures tennis tournament—an International Tennis Federation tournament—took to X after the match to post, 'I just watched the absolute worst professional tennis match I have ever seen,' noting Ackman and Sock's loss. A wildcard is a special entry granted by tournament organizers that allows a player to enter the main draw or qualifying rounds without meeting the usual ranking or qualification criteria. They are typically given to former top players, promising young players, local players or players with promotional value. Chief Critic Walker, who has served as the tournament director for Vero Beach Futures since 2017, said on X that he wanted to 'provide some commentary' and insights on the Newport match, but that he was 'too sick to my stomach over it to do so right now.' Earlier on Wednesday, Walker slammed Ackman for not 'earning' his wildcard, referencing 53-year-old James Bragg, who was given a wildcard into the USTA Pro Circuit tournament in Vero Beach after winning a doubles event in 2023. Walker has also criticized Ackman on X for saying he would be 'the oldest person in tennis history at 59 to win ATP points,' pointing to Gardnar Mulloy, who 'earned' his ATP ranking at 64 at a Grand Prix event played in North Miami, Florida, in 1978.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Former Wimbledon finalist makes shock comeback to tennis after unranked star turned pro in different sport
EUGENIE BOUCHARD has made a shock comeback to tennis after turning professional in another sport. The Canadian had previously announced she was parking tennis to take up pickleball. 4 Bouchard, 31, had last played a professional tennis match in May 2024 and last featured at a Grand Slam event in the US Open qualifiers in August 2023. But the former Wimbledon finalist was seen back on a tennis court with a racquet in hand. Taking to Instagram, she shared a video of herself warming up on the grass and hitting some shots over the net. Text over the video said she was warming up to play in the Hall of Fame Open. The grass court tournament takes place in Rhode Island, USA, with women's tennis making a return to the venue for the first time since 1990. The 2025 edition will have the highest purse at the WTA 125 level, with $200,000 available for competitors. It started on July 7 and will run through to July 13. Unranked Bouchard received a wildcard for the main draw. Unfortunately, the former world No5 crashed out of the event in her first singles game to American Anna Rogers. However, she has fared better in the doubles alongside compatriot Olivia Lincer. They won their first game in straight sets 7-5 7-6 to progress into the quarter finals. Bouchard has 2.3 million followers on Instagram.
