Bill Ackman Slammed For Sullying Professional Tennis

Billionaire Bill Ackman and the organizers of a tennis tournament have come under heavy criticism from former Grand Slam champions and social media users after the hedge fund manager made his professional tennis debut—a match he ultimately lost, Ben Morse reported for CNN.

The event, sanctioned by tennis’ governing bodies, the ATP and the WTA, drew fire from the likes of Eighteen-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova and former world No. 1 Andy Roddick. I Photo: Bill Ackman Facebook

Ackman teamed up 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’ governing bodies, the ATP and the WTA.

The pair lost in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, to Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic.

Ackman—the founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, with a net worth of $9.5 billion according to Forbes—described the match as a dream come true, saying he had always wanted to play in a professional tournament.

But not everyone shared his enthusiasm. Eighteen-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova weighed in, writing on social media: “Apparently you can buy yourself a wild card. Oh to have the confidence…”

Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim also criticized Ackman's participation, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “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.”

Former world No. 1 Andy Roddick was particularly scathing, drawing on his ties to the International Tennis Hall of Fame and its mission.

 “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,” said the 2003 US Open champion 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.”