Legends of the game of tennis are speaking out in criticism of billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman after he recently took part in a professional tennis match.
Here's what they had to say and what Ackman is saying about his loss.
What Happened: Social media was full of brutal criticism for Ackman and tennis partner Jack Sock's recent 6-1, 7-5 loss in a doubles match to Omar Jasika and Bernard Tomic.
The match also saw criticism from tennis legends Andy Roddick and Martina Navratilova.
Roddick called the match a disaster, as reported by the New York Post.
"The biggest joke I've ever watched in professional tennis," Roddick, a former U.S. Open champion, said.
Navratilova, who is one of the winningest women's tennis players of all time, took exception to the way Ackman got a spot in the ATP Hall of Fame Open.
"Apparently you can buy yourself a wild card. Oh to have the confidence…" Navratilova tweeted.
The comments from Navratilova, who won more than 50 Grand Slam tennis events in both singles and doubles, come as Ackman got into the tournament through a "wildcard" system. Ackman did not have to qualify from rankings or from competing in lower-level matches first.
Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim has highlighted the fact that Ackman is a financial supporter of the Professional Tennis Players Association. Most of the journalist's criticism stems from Ackman being allowed in an officially sanctioned event that offered prize money and ATP ranking points instead of being an amateur event.
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What Ackman Said: Ackman is fighting back against the criticism of his tennis match.
"The press on my professional debut has been brutal, and indeed, it was not my best showing," Ackman said.
Ackman acknowledged the first set was a blowout with the 6-1 score, but said that a number of things, like missed break points, could have changed the outcome of the second set and forced a third tiebreaker set.
"All in all a great experience for which I am eternally grateful."
In an earlier social media post, Ackman said the tennis match was a "very humbling experience" that gave him more respect for the pros.
Ackman admitted he had some "stage fright" in his match.
"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."
Ackman has not said whether he will be competing in more tennis matches in the future.
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