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With the curious and sketchy awarding of a wild card into the Hall of Fame Open doubles to 59-year-old hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, the clash with Aussies Bernard Tomic and Omar Jasika was … highly anticipated.
In a rubbernecking kind of way.
One thing was clear: Tomic absolutely understood the assignment. He lobbed so many easy putaway balls for Ackman, throughout the match, it was like watching a hit-and-giggle exhibition for which the gigglers paid a huge fee to play with the pros.
As for Sock, who hasn’t played a tennis match in nearly two years, that buzzsaw forehand that won him so many titles has been relegated to a distant past.
There were fans – surely, many of them Ackman fans from his huge social media following, and perhaps some pals drafted for the occasion. But it was a train wreck of the thing that everyone involved should have been embarrassed to be part of.
This was, after all, a $400,000 professional tennis tournament.
The next morning, having reflected a little on his bucket-list moment and perhaps having gone for a massage and an ice bath, Ackman offered some DEEP reflections on the experience on his Twitter feed.
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.
I found myself on a tennis court in a live streamed…
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) July 10, 2025
Right. It was the nerves that explained his level of play. We appreciate the clarification.
(Also – he probably truly thinks those “20-something former D1 college bros” don’t take it as easy on him as Tomic did. Noblesse obliges).
Ackman’s major lack of self-awareness and extreme hubris in deciding that this paid-for, bucket-list experience in ANY way gives him some insight into the daily life of professional tennis player would be funny, if it weren’t so condescending.
But things being what they are, Open Court watched this three-ring circus, so you don’t have to.
If you REALLY want to see it, the link is here.
Below, some snarky play by play.
Warmup: Ackman warming up with Bernard Tomic, and having trouble with bouncing the ball on the court because of the lush grass. He’s having to awkwardly fetch them after they go awry.
“To the right of the chair, from the United States – William ARTHUR Ackman, and Jack Sock.”
The middle name is an lovely touch his late uncle Arthur (or whomever he was named for) would appreciate.
0-0, 0-0
Ackman’s first return on Tomic’s serve bounces three times before it gets to the net.
The second return, Ackman dumps another forehand into the net.
Sock, to be honest, not much better.
The Aussies hold.
*0-1, 15-0
Ackman nearly kills Sock by calling dibs on a couple of overheads. They end up winning the point, but scary moments as they nearly collide, twice.
It’s a shot fired: Mr. Ackman isn’t just there to get carried by a former top-10 guy. NO SIR. He’ll take that overhead, thank you very much!
*1-1 – Omar Jasika double faults the first time he tries to serve to Ackman. Tomic is just toying with the billionaire.
*1-2, 15-0 – Ackman called for a foot fault on his second serve. Just goes to show you what happens when you don’t pay attention to foot faults in practice. You practice how you play. Lesson learned. Decent trophy pose, though.
15-30 – Sock hits a Tweener
*3-1, Tomic serving.
Fun exhibition-type volleys! You’d think Mansour Bahrami was on the court!
Then there’s a lob; Sock lumbers back to field it and … bounces a forehand into the net.
Then Tomic aces him. And at 40-0, Sock attempts a jump forehand – and dumps it into the net.
*1-4, Sock serving
Sock SMOKES a winning forehand volley.
Except … the umpire calls for the point to be replayed because the ballkid was passing behind the court.
0-15 – Tomic slices another sitter to Ackman who … dumps the forehand volley into the bottom of the net.
0-40 – Sock double fauls – again, for another break, as Tomic joshes at the back of the court with Jasika.
15-0 – BIG BACKHAND VOLLEY DOWN THE MIDDLE BY ACKMAN, after Jasika puts it on his racquet.
Ackman fans in the crowd go WILD.
But oops, the racquet falls right out of Ackman’s hand after that. He has to bend down to fetch it. Awkward.
Deuce, deciding point
Sock takes it, to no one’s surprise.
Jasika throws in a real serve – and Sock dumps it into the net.
The Aussies take the first set in 21 minutes, 6-1.
There is, to say the least, not much banter or conversation between the Americans at this point. Sock’s effort overall was somewhat poor, considering someone paid him to do this.
*0-0, Sock serving
Sock hits an underarm serve, missed by Tomic, who then crosses to the other side of the court on the opposite side of the chairs, à la Serena, gnawing on the bottom hem of his shirt in abject shame. The Americans hold.
*1-1, Ackman serving
0-15 – Ackman thinks he has the winning volley down the middle. But NO! Tomic gets it back. And Sock airmails the smash.
0-30 – Nifty inside-out angled backhand volley by Ackman. Especially with that funky grip. The crowd goes WILD.
Comeback unleashed?
15-40 – Tragically, Ackman double faults into the bottom of the net, for the break.
*2-1, Jasika serving
30-0 – Ackman hits a HUGE forehand crosscourt return winner on a duck of a serve. Despite that jarring forehand grip. The crowd goes wild.
40-30 – Sock dumps a forehand return into the net, as the Aussies hold.
*1-3, Sock serving
Sock hits a great serve wide. Chair umpire calls it a let.
No, no, it wasn’t a let, said Jasika, who concedes the point just as he would in a real match. (Right …)
Sock holds.
*3-2, Tomic serving
0-15 – BIG work at the net from Ackman.
15-30 – Tomic hands him another one right over the plate, and Ackman puts the forehand volley away down the line.
15-40 – TWO BREAK POINTS!
30-40 – Tomic hands another easy slice to Ackman, who puts the ball away.
And they BREAK!
Tomic laughs.
They’re back on serve!! We have a match!
*3-3 – Ackman serving
Acklman’s serve is SO slow that Jasika misses.
15-0 – TWEENER from Sock.
30-0 – Ackman double faults into the bottom of the net.
30-15 – Tomic was ready to do a Federer-like SABR. But Ackman double-faults again.
Still, Ackman holds.
They lead!!
There’s a standing ovation (that’s a joke; people around the court watching were already standing).
Changeover: Sock asks the chair umpire where the bathroom is. Umpire replies that it’s way over “there”. Clearly Sock has a … need. But the umpire tells him he has 20 more seconds on the changeover and he’d have to get there and back in time.
Not wanting to take a chance on a point penalty in this high stakes match, Socks decides to tie a knot in it for now.
*3-4, Jasika serving
15-0 – A suddenly FEARLESS Ackman goes right after Tomic at the net with a volley.
And after all Tomic has done for him in this match, too. No respect.
Tomic fields it like it’s an annoying fly. But the Aussies end up losing the point.
15-30 – Ackman hits a drop volley (whether it was intentional, only he would know). Tomic scrambles for it but can’t get it.
After which he falls to the ground like he’s dead. Or perhaps he just decided to take a quick snooze.
Jasika helps him up.
15-40 – Two break points on Jasika’s serve to go up 5-3. Key moment.
Ackman’s forehand serve return misses wide, by a couple of yards.
30-40 – Sock’s forehand return … rolls to the net.
Deuce – Deciding point – Sock takes it, of course. And his half-volley backhand … rolls to the net.
The Aussies were not sending sitters to Ackman on this most crucial point. They decided to let Sock lose it.
He accommodates.
*4-4, Sock serving
Ackman puts a big forehand volley away down the middle.
“That’s it, Bill !!!” an Ackman fan calls out from the sidelines.
15-15 – A HUGE high backhand smash-volley from Ackman, which Tomic can’t handle.
Shot of the match. Easily.
30-15 – Tomic lobs over Ackman’s head on the return. Sock butchers the forehand (again).
30-30 –Time violation warning for Sock. Who is annoyed by this.
First serve into the net.
Let on the second serve.
Let again – but the serve is out. Double fault.
30-40 – Break point for the Aussies.
Ackman hits a delicate touch volley inside out on the forehand.
Tomic, in a rare show of competitiveness during this affair, runs it down and fires a backhand right through him for the break.
*5-4 – Tomic serving for the match
First point, he serves a slider out wide that angles out five feet away from Ackman, who is schooled on the play. The fact that he didn’t do this every time just demonstrate what a super-nice guy Tomic it, at his core.
Okay, you think, Tomic is done with this. Time to take care of business.
But NO!!!
30-0 – Tomic, serving to Ackman, dumps two serves into the net for a double fault.
30-15 – Tomic stands in no man’s land for a first volley, butchers it into the bottom of the net.
40-30 – Match point
Tomic tries a “real” first serve, misses it. Dumps the second serve into the net. Second double fault in this game.
Deuce – deciding point – match point.
Sock takes it (natch). Ackman gets a couple of high volleys. The last one bounced a couple of feet over the net. Somehow, it works.
The Americans break for 5-5. It’s truly on now.
*5-5, Ackman serving
15-0 – They generously give Ackman three shots at putaway volleys; the fourth one sails out of court.
30-15 – Sock fakes a poach, ends up in the middle of the court. Tomic slides one down the line with no one home.
30-40 – Break point
You want Tomic to crush this one. Of course, he doesn’t.
But Ackman butchers the backhand volley into the net, so no harm done.
*6-5, Jasika serving
Will the Aussie be able to succeed where Tomic failed, and serve it out?
SUSPENSE!!!
Ackman dumps the forehand return into the net for 15-0
15-0 – Tomic whiffs on a Sock forehand. Not the Sock forehand of old, mind you. More like old Sock’s forehand.
15-15 – After a long and generous volley exchange, Tomic lobs it over Ackman’s head. He gets a tiny bit of stick on it. But the 59-year-old, sadly, doesn’t have the hops of his youth (if he never had hops; we don’t know).
40-15 – MATCH POINT!!!
Jasika double faults while serving to Ackman, whose fearsome return clearly has them on edge at this point.
40-30 – Match point again.
Sock’s return is wide, and the Aussies win!!!
As the other players head to the chair umpire for the handshake, Ackman goes straight to his chair and gives the chair umpire a drive-by.
Nice.
The crowd shows its appreciation for the epic they’ve just witnessed.
Uh, not really. They probably headed straight to the bar to wash out the taste of this one.
Some guy comes on court and starts talking forehands with Sock.
Looked like Ackman might have been on his phone. But it was hard to tell.
Sock and Tomic chat a little, as the players linger on court.
Finally, they leave.
An hour and 12 minutes – almost all of it the second set.
And the most embarrassing moment in pro tennis in a long time is mercifully done.
Hopefully, not to be repeated.
Ackman would have earned half of the $1,160 prize money for losing first round – $580 US.
(Tomic and Jasika play on, and got $1,000 each for … participating in this farce, with more to come if they can continue to win).
Let’s hope William Arthur Ackman donates that to his favorite tennis charity.
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