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National Post
a day ago
- Sport
- National Post
Canada's Vasek Pospisil bounced in final NBO appearance in three sets
Article content The Toronto Farewell Tour was short-lived. Article content Veteran tennis player Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., who confirmed last week that the National Bank Open in Toronto would be his final hurrah on the pro circuit, was eliminated Sunday in the first round of men's singles by qualifier Facundo Bagnis of Argentina at Sobeys Stadium. Article content Bagnis won the best-of-three match on Centre Court 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in one hour, 57 minutes. Article content Pospisil wrote on X before his match: 'Eighteen years of professional tennis. Looking forward to playing in front of you one last time Toronto.' Article content Article content Eighteen years of professional tennis. Looking forward to playing in front of you one last time in Toronto 😌 — Vasek Pospisil (@VasekPospisil) July 21, 2025 Article content The 35-year-old Pospisil had a career-high singles ranking of world No. 25, and No. 4 in doubles. Along with partner Jack Sock, he won the 2014 Wimbledon Championships and the 2015 Indian Wells Masters men's doubles titles. He also reached the quarterfinals in singles at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships. Article content He also won a Davis Cup championship in 2022. Article content Against Bagnis, Pospsil had 17 winners, 39 unforced errors, six aces and five double faults. The 35-year-old Bagnis had 20 winners, 25 unforced errors, 11 aces and two double faults. Article content In front of friends and family, including his parents, Milos and Mila, Pospisil put on a gutsy fight against Bagnis but struggled after pulling a muscle in the first set. Article content 'I really wanted my parents to be at my last match. I didn't want to just kind of end it. Because it's been such a family journey. They sacrificed so much for me,' said Pospisil. 'My dad as well, he quit his job, he coached me for 15 years. He was, in some ways, more invested in this than I was. It was just as much his journey as it was mine.' Article content Article content Bagnis will next face 30th-ranked Nuno Borges of Portugal. Article content Meanwhile, 18-year-old wild-card entry Nicolas Arseneault of Richmond Hill, Ont., knocked off 24-year-old qualifier Valentin Royer of France 6-3, 7-6 (4) in one hour, 45 minutes on the grandstand court at Sobeys Stadium. Article content Royer had more winners (21-14) than Arseneault, but had more unforced errors (48-23). Article content The Canadian had five aces, four double faults, a first serve percentage of 68, and won five of 11 break points. Article content Royer had three aces, six double faults, a first serve percentage of 61 and only won four of nine break points. Article content Arseneault will next play 18th-seeded and NBO defending champion Alexei Popyrin of Sydney, Australia. Article content 'It definitely hasn't sunk in yet. It's going to take maybe tomorrow morning before I realize what I've just done,' said a happy Arseneault. 'To play my first main draw in Toronto, and to win my first match, it's the best thing that's happened to me yet.' Article content In other action Sunday, the world's 48th-ranked Gael Monfils of France lost to qualifier Tomas Barrios Vera of Chile 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3), while 80th-ranked Roman Safiullin of Russia lost his first set 6-4 to qualifier Ugo Blanchet of France, but bounced back with 6-2, 7-6 (9) wins. The 84th-ranked Adam Walton of Australia lost his first set 6-4 to Benjamin Bonzi of France but bounced back with 6-0, 6-3 victories. Article content
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tennis Hall of Fame rejects billionaire Bill Ackman's $10 million gift after widely criticized tournament entry
The International Tennis Hall of Fame has rejected a $10 million gift from hedge-fund billionaire Bill Ackman after his widely criticized entry in its ATP Challenger event, according to Front Office Sports. The 59-year-old Ackman, a longtime tennis fan, competed in the Hall of Fame Open in Rhode Island last week as a doubles team with former top-10 player Jack Sock, losing to Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic 6-1, 7-5. The Challenger Tour is the tier below the ATP Tour, but still an actual professional tournament. Ackman received a wild-card entry after a history of philanthropy with the Hall of Fame and played like, well, a 59-year-old tennis enthusiast with no professional experience thrown into a group of professionals. Jasika and Tomic were openly going easy on him, but it didn't prevent him and Sock from losing in straight sets. The decision to add a billionaire to the tournament it hosts led to a wave of criticism toward the Hall of Fame in the tennis community, most notably from former world No. 1 Andy Roddick, the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title. Speaking on his "Quick Served" podcast, Roddick called the match "a total miss," "pathetic," "hard to watch," and "the biggest joke I've watched in professional tennis." He actually said he didn't blame Ackman for his decision to play, placing the onus on the Hall, and praised the billionaire's effort, but said he believed the decisions behind the match would warrant a review. "There was exactly one person on that court trying as hard as they could," Roddick said. "... If you want to argue with me, go back and watch that video. 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. "This was beneath the Hall of Fame, in my opinion." You can judge the respective effort levels in the video of the match below: Three days after the match, Ackman posted a lengthy tweet in which he defended the Hall of Fame, criticized his own play and pledged to set up a $10 million endowment he would manage, giving the Hall 10% of the principal each year. He also called the match an overall success, describing it as "one of the greatest public relations achievements in tennis history" for the Hall, partially due to his failure on the court, and challenged Roddick to a doubles match. He said the criticism the Hall received was "entirely" on him, but also tried to explain why he played so badly. "What has not been disclosed is that I played a doubles tournament 10 days prior at the HOF, and I played great. The field was comprised of former pros and top college players from around the world, but 55 plus in age. Richey Reneberg and I lost in the semis to the ultimate winners of the tournament in the tie breaker ... Where things went wrong is that I hadn't been beta tested in a professional tournament and my nerves got to me. "Jack also chose the ad side and I have been playing the ad side for the last year. I was also serving into the 1:30pm sun with a shot clock (a new experience for me), and to make matters worse the other side held back making the whole thing look like a farce." Everyone has a different definition of success, but it appears the Hall has been less happy than Ackman about how this has played out. While it declined comment to FOS, it reportedly said in a letter to its members and board that it would reject the donation to avoid "any perception of impropriety." It added, 'In hindsight, we would not make this decision again,' referring to Ackman's entry.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tennis Hall of Fame rejects billionaire Bill Ackman's $10 million gift after widely criticized tournament entry
The International Tennis Hall of Fame has rejected a $10 million gift from hedge-fund billionaire Bill Ackman after his widely criticized entry in its ATP Challenger event, according to Front Office Sports. The 59-year-old Ackman, a longtime tennis fan, competed in the Hall of Fame Open in Rhode Island last week as a doubles team with former top-10 player Jack Sock, losing to Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic 6-1, 7-5. The Challenger Tour is the tier below the ATP Tour, but still an actual professional tournament. Ackman received a wild-card entry after a history of philanthropy with the Hall of Fame and played like, well, a 59-year-old tennis enthusiast with no professional experience thrown into a group of professionals. Jasika and Tomic were openly going easy on him, but it didn't prevent him and Sock from losing in straight sets. The decision to add a billionaire to the tournament it hosts led to a wave of criticism toward the Hall of Fame in the tennis community, most notably from former world No. 1 Andy Roddick, the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title. Speaking on his "Quick Served" podcast, Roddick called the match "a total miss," "pathetic," "hard to watch," and "the biggest joke I've watched in professional tennis." He actually said he didn't blame Ackman for his decision to play, placing the onus on the Hall, and praised the billionaire's effort, but said he believed the decisions behind the match would warrant a review. "There was exactly one person on that court trying as hard as they could," Roddick said. "... If you want to argue with me, go back and watch that video. 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. "This was beneath the Hall of Fame, in my opinion." You can judge the respective effort levels in the video of the match below: Three days after the match, Ackman posted a lengthy tweet in which he defended the Hall of Fame, criticized his own play and pledged to set up a $10 million endowment he would manage, giving the Hall 10% of the principal each year. He also called the match an overall success, describing it as "one of the greatest public relations achievements in tennis history" for the Hall, partially due to his failure on the court, and challenged Roddick to a doubles match. He said the criticism the Hall received was "entirely" on him, but also tried to explain why he played so badly. "What has not been disclosed is that I played a doubles tournament 10 days prior at the HOF, and I played great. The field was comprised of former pros and top college players from around the world, but 55 plus in age. Richey Reneberg and I lost in the semis to the ultimate winners of the tournament in the tie breaker ... Where things went wrong is that I hadn't been beta tested in a professional tournament and my nerves got to me. "Jack also chose the ad side and I have been playing the ad side for the last year. I was also serving into the 1:30pm sun with a shot clock (a new experience for me), and to make matters worse the other side held back making the whole thing look like a farce." Everyone has a different definition of success, but it appears the Hall has been less happy than Ackman about how this has played out. While it declined comment to FOS, it reportedly said in a letter to its members and board that it would reject the donation to avoid "any perception of impropriety," then added: 'In hindsight, we would not make this decision again,' it added, referring to Ackman's wild-card entry.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tennis Hall of Fame rejects billionaire Bill Ackman's $10 million gift after widely criticized tournament entry
The International Tennis Hall of Fame has rejected a $10 million gift from hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman after his widely criticized entry in its ATP Challenger event, according to Front Office Sports. The 59-year-old Ackman, a longtime tennis fan, competed in the Hall of Fame Open in Rhode Island last week as a doubles team with former top 10 player Jack Sock, losing to Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic 6-1, 7-5. The Challenger Tour is the tier below the ATP Tour, but still an actual professional tournament. Ackman received a wild-card entry after a history of philanthropy with the Hall of Fame and played like, well, a 59-year-old tennis enthusiast with no professional experience thrown into a group of professionals. Jasika and Tomic were openly going easy on him, and it didn't prevent him and Sock from losing in straight sets. The decision to add a billionaire to the tournament it hosts led to a wave of criticism toward the Hall of Fame in the tennis community, most notably from former world No. 1 Andy Roddick, the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title. Speaking on his "Quick Served" podcast, Roddick called the match "a total miss," "pathetic," "hard to watch," and "the biggest joke I've watched in professional tennis." He actually said he didn't blame Ackman for his decision to play, placing the onus on the Hall, and praised the billionaire's effort, but said he believed the decisions behind the match would warrant a review. More: "There was exactly one person on that court trying as hard as they could ... If you want to argue with me, go back and watch that video. 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. "This was beneath the Hall of Fame, in my opinion." You can judge the respective effort levels in the video of the match below: Three days after the match, Ackman posted a lengthy tweet in which he defended the Hall of Fame, criticized his own play and pledged to set up a $10 million endowment he would manage, giving the Hall 10% of the principal each year. He also called the match an overall success, describing it as "one of the greatest public relations achievements in tennis history" for the Hall, partially due to his failure on the court, and challenged Roddick to a doubles match. He said the criticism the Hall received was "entirely" on him, but also tried to explain why he played so badly. "What has not been disclosed is that I played a doubles tournament 10 days prior at the HOF, and I played great. The field was comprised of former pros and top college players from around the world, but 55 plus in age. Richey Reneberg and I lost in the semis to the ultimate winners of the tournament in the tie breaker ... Where things went wrong is that I hadn't been beta tested in a professional tournament and my nerves got to me. "Jack also chose the ad side and I have been playing the ad side for the last year. I was also serving into the 1:30pm sun with a shot clock (a new experience for me), and to make matters worse the other side held back making the whole thing look like a farce." Everyone has a different definition of success, but it appears the Hall has been less happy than Ackman about how this has played out. While it declined comment to FOS, it reportedly said in a letter to its members and board that it would reject the donation to avoid "any perception of impropriety," then added: 'In hindsight, we would not make this decision again,' it added, referring to Ackman's wildcard entry.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hall No: Billionaire Ackman's $10M Offer to Tennis HOF Declined
Days after Bill Ackman lost his first professional tennis match, the 59-year-old billionaire hedge fund investor offered a $10 million endowment to the International Tennis Hall of Fame—the same organization that invited him and doubles partner Jack Sock to its annual tournament. 'The HOF is an incredible venue, museum, and tourist attraction, and most people, even tennis fans, didn't even know it existed until last week,' Ackman posted on X Sunday. 'It relies on charitable funding for its existence as a non-profit. So each year the HOF has to go find corporate sponsors and donations to stay solvent, a not so easy task.' More from Wimbledon Makes Half a Billion Dollars Over Two Weeks Each Year Billionaire Hedge Fund Investor Bill Ackman Loses Pro Tennis Debut Alcaraz Outlasts Sinner to Win French Open, $2.9M in Prize Money However, the organization has turned down Ackman's offered donation, a spokesperson confirmed to Sportico Wednesday. Sports Illustrated tennis writer Jon Wertheim first reported the decision, writing that the Hall of Fame passed to avoid 'any potential perception of impropriety.' In making his offer, Ackman explained that 'many … claimed that I bribed the HOF for the wildcard, which is entirely untrue.' Ackman has donated to the organization in the past—he and his Pershing Square Foundation are members of the Hall of Fame's 'Founder's Circle,' an honor given to 'philanthropic leaders whose passion and devotion have preserved and sustained this historic property and institution.' But he said online he had not done so 'in recent years.' A Pershing Square representative did not respond to a request for additional details on Ackman's relationship with the ITHOF. After being granted a wild-card slot, Sock and Ackman lost in the first round of the Hall of Fame Open doubles tournament in Newport, R.I., 6-1, 7-5, to Australians Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic. Clips of Ackman's low points on the court soon went viral, followed by complaints that he was undeserving of the stage. ITHOF enshrinee Andy Roddick called the match 'the biggest joke I've ever watched in professional tennis.' Ackman has offered several defenses for his lowlights. His partner wanted him to play on the side of the court he was left comfortable on, he had not previously served against a shot clock, the 1:30 p.m. sun presented its own challenges—'and to make matters worse,' Ackman wrote online on the day of the Wimbledon men's singles final, 'the other side held back making the whole thing look like a farce.' He wrote, 'Where things went wrong is that I hadn't been beta tested in a professional tournament and my nerves got to me.' Amid the fallout, Ackman also challenged Roddick to a match. According to the organization's tax filings, the ITHOF generated $32.7 million in 2023 revenue, with $94.1 million in total assets. Ackman's offer would have sent 5% of a $10 million endowment invested in his hedge fund, Pershing Square, to the organization each year. He asked that the money be used to promote youth interest in tennis. 'The HOF engineered one of the greatest public relations achievements in tennis history,' Ackman wrote on X. 'My failure on the court contributed to its success. That sounds like a grand slam to me.' Best of Panthers Win Second Stanley Cup Under Owner Vincent Viola Top 50 Highest-Paid Athletes of All Time Highest-Paid Athletes in the World: Full List
