Latest news with #InternationalTennisHallofFame
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Trumpy Billionaire, 59, Flamed for Pro-Tennis Debut Disaster
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.'
New York Post
10-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Tennis legends Andy Roddick, Martina Navratilova sneer at Bill Ackman for playing in pro match: ‘The biggest joke'
Bill Ackman's foray into professional tennis was met with widespread ridicule from legends Andy Roddick and Martina Navratilova after the billionaire finagled his way into a doubles match at the hallowed grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The 59-year-old hedge fund titan — a skilled amateur who also happens to boast a fortune valued by Forbes at $9.5 billion — teamed up with recently retired ATP pro Jack Sock at the 2025 Hall of Fame Open in Newport, RI. The pair were quickly dispatched in straight sets by active pros Bernard Tomic and Omar Jasika in straight sets in Wednesday's first round of the doubles draw. The younger Aussies won 6-1, 7-5 in 67 minutes. Advertisement 4 Bill Ackman, the billionaire hedge fund manager, sparked criticism over the weekend after participating in a professional tennis match. Bloomberg via Getty Images 'A disaster,' former US Open champion Roddick said of the match, adding that it was 'the biggest joke I've ever watched in professional tennis.' Navratilova, who won a total of 59 Grand Slam titles in both, weighed in as well, posting on social media: 'Apparently you can buy yourself a wild card. Oh to have the confidence…' Advertisement Ackman, founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, was able to get into the tournament thanks to a 'wildcard' system that allows entry to players who would otherwise not qualify based on rankings or qualifications. 4 Ackman (seen bottom right) and his doubles partner Jack Sock lost to Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic in straight sets on Wednesday at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, RI. ATP Tour Critics argued that Ackman's inclusion, enabled by his wealth and influence rather than merit, undermines the purpose of the system. Randy Walker, the tournament director, didn't mince words, calling it 'the absolute worst tennis match I have ever seen.' Advertisement He criticized the decision to grant Ackman a wildcard, saying it had not been earned through skill or contribution to the game. Ackman, a prolific social media user, did not adress the ciriticism in a lengthy post on X. 'It was a very humbling experience that gives one even more respect for the pros who play for a living in front of the cameras and the crowds,' he wrote Thursday. He attributed his poor performance to a sudden bout of 'stage fright.' Advertisement '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. 4 Andy Roddick the former US Open champion, expressed outrage over Ackman's participation in the tournament. Andy Roddick's Served Media / YouTube '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.' Ackman's rep told The Post: 'We don't have anything more to add right now.' The backlash over Ackman's appearance extended beyond former players. Veteran tennis journalist Jon Wertheim called it 'wildly inappropriate and lacking in integrity,' especially given the match took place at a sanctioned event that offers ranking points and prize money. Wertheim noted the irony that Ackman is a major financial supporter of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), an organization dedicated to expanding professional opportunities for tennis players. 4 Martina Navratilova weighed in as well, posting on social media: 'Apparently you can buy yourself a wild card. Oh to have the confidence…' Getty Images for WTA Advertisement Fans and social media users also voiced disapproval, with many describing Ackman's appearance as a 'mockery' and a 'publicity stunt.' Glenn Greenwald, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and avid tennis fan, slammed Ackman on X, writing that he '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.' 'It'd be as if Bill Gates got the Seattle Mariners to let him be a starting pitcher for their AAA team,' Greenwald wrote, calling Ackman's tournament appearance an exercise in 'pathetic ego-stroking.' The Challenger circuit is considered a lower level of professional tennis akin to minor league baseball. Advertisement Ackman's appearance came as part of the newly restructured Hall of Fame Open, which this year debuted as a combined ATP and WTA Challenger 125 event.
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Wimbledon, On This Day: Leander Paes wins the junior title
Leander Paes' record at Wimbledon is one to be envied. The stalwart of Indian tennis has won five titles on the Wimbledon court, four in the mixed doubles and one in the men's doubles. The first Asian man to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Paes' name is firmly etched into the history books. However, while Paes is well-known for his exploits on the doubles courts, his exploits at the 1990 Wimbledon Junior Championships should not be forgotten. 1990 would prove to be the year that Paes left a mark on junior tennis. He began the year strongly, competing at the junior event of the Australian Open and making his way to the final where he lost to Dirk Dier of West Germany. He arrived at SW19 eager to make go one better, but faced a tough field between him and the title. Paes went into the competition seeded eleventh, and quickly progressed through the competition with clinicality. Between the first round and the semifinal, he dropped just a single set (to Canada's Sebastian Leblanc), knocking out fifth seed Leblanc, and seventh seed Ivan Baron in the semifinal in the process. All of this set up a final against South Africa's Marcos Ondruska, the second seed on July 8 1990. Paes narrowly took the first set 7-5, but Ondruska hit back to claim the second 6-2. The game was delicately poised at a set apiece. However, the young Indian starlet was able to dig deep, and took the final set 6-4 to seal his first title at Wimbledon. In doing so, he became only the third Indian player to win the junior title after Ramanathan Krishnan and Ramesh Krishnan. Reflecting on the match in an interview with Sportstar in 1991, Paes said, 'I had worked hard for it and I was happy with the reward. There is no short cut to success. It was a good final and I won 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. I was confident of winning even before the final.' In winning the title, Paes established himself as one of the brightest young talents in both Indian and world tennis, and started a lifelong love story with the hallowed courts of the SW19.
Fox Sports
03-07-2025
- Business
- Fox Sports
Hall of Fame Open to feature highest purse at WTA 125 level
Associated Press NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Women's professional tennis returns to the International Tennis Hall of Fame next week with the highest purse at the WTA 125 level. Both the men's and women's tours will have tournaments at the Hall of Fame Open, with both the women's event and the ATP Challenger one featuring $200,000 purses. While the ATP Tour had continued with the post-Wimbledon event on the Hall's grass courts, the women's tour hadn't played there since the 1990s. In order to return with equal prize money, the tournament partnered with the MARGARET ('May All Resolve, Girls Achieve Real Equity Today') Fund, which supports programs that promote education about and compliance with Title IX. That allowed for a 60% increase in the women's tour purse to match the men's at the event. The Hall of Fame Open begins with qualifying on Sunday and runs through July 13. ___ More AP tennis: in this topic
Winnipeg Free Press
03-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Hall of Fame Open to feature highest purse at WTA 125 level
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Women's professional tennis returns to the International Tennis Hall of Fame next week with the highest purse at the WTA 125 level. Both the men's and women's tours will have tournaments at the Hall of Fame Open, with both the women's event and the ATP Challenger one featuring $200,000 purses. While the ATP Tour had continued with the post-Wimbledon event on the Hall's grass courts, the women's tour hadn't played there since the 1990s. In order to return with equal prize money, the tournament partnered with the MARGARET ('May All Resolve, Girls Achieve Real Equity Today') Fund, which supports programs that promote education about and compliance with Title IX. That allowed for a 60% increase in the women's tour purse to match the men's at the event. The Hall of Fame Open begins with qualifying on Sunday and runs through July 13. ___ More AP tennis:
