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In his latest weekly podcast, called “Quick Serve,” Andy Roddick unloaded on Bill Ackman’s match at the Hall of Fame Open.
The former US Open men’s singles champion teed off on billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman’s recent pro tennis debut in Newport, R.I., calling the match “a disaster” and “beneath the Hall of Fame.”
Ackman, 59, founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, competed in the doubles ATP Challenger event alongside former pro Jack Sock on Wednesday. The two lost to Australia’s Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic, 6-1, 7-5.
The match, held at a combined ATP Challenger and WTA 125 event known for giving up-and-coming players or those returning from injury a chance to climb the ranks, drew widespread attention. The tournament has hosted other notable players like John Isner, Lleyton Hewitt, and Kevin Anderson, and is often an important stop for athletes looking to gain momentum post-Wimbledon.
“This was the biggest joke I’ve ever watched in professional tennis,” Roddick said. “There was exactly one person on that court trying as hard as they could.”
Roddick didn’t hold back, questioning the validity of the wildcard entry altogether. “You don’t give a wildcard to someone who, 50 players at my club are better than him,” he said. “There was obviously an exchange of something,” suggesting Ackman paid his way in.
The Hall of Fame Open confirmed to Front Office Sports that Ackman was part of the official wild card entry in partnership with Sock, who qualified for it as a 2021 doubles champion.
While Ackman showed effort on the court, Roddick saved some of his sharpest criticism for Bernard Tomic, their controversial opponent who has long been criticized for his on-court attitude. “He was serving 50 miles an hour to someone…This match is gonna be under review—it has to be.”
“It looked like four players were in the bag,” he added. “There’s no way what I just saw happened without…something.”
Before the match, Ackman seemed to embrace the novelty of the moment. “I’m peaking next week,” he joked in an interview with Front Office Sports.
But Roddick—and others—didn’t see the humor. Longtime tennis journalist Jon Wertheim posted on X: “Note, too, that this guy – who took a legit player’s draw spot – is helping bankroll the PTPA, which just filed a federal suit that, in part, seeks more ‘earning opportunities’ for players… 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.”
That irony wasn’t lost on many, given the Professional Tennis Players Association’s recent antitrust lawsuit—backed in part by Ackman—against the tennis “cartel” for allegedly restricting earning opportunities and access to tournaments.
Roddick wasn’t the only former tennis pro to weigh in on the merits of Ackman playing in a pro event. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova also posted: “Apparently you can buy yourself a wild card. Oh to have the confidence…”
