Bill Ackman is best known for his large investments in companies that can lead to activist battles. The investor is now ready to take a break from the stock market to participate in a sports competition.
What Happened: Ackman and professional tennis player Jack Sock will play doubles in the upcoming Hall of Fame Open in Rhode Island.
Ackman shared the news on X, saying that "fate intervened," as he was initially scheduled to play doubles in an ATP tournament with Nick Kyrigos, who recently became injured.
The Hall of Fame Open is an ATP Tour Challenger and WTA 124 Event.
Ackman and Sock will begin matches Tuesday, July 8.
The Pershing Square Capital Management CEO encouraged his social media followers to come cheer the duo on and visit the Hall of Fame. Ackman said he could be one of the oldest people in tennis history at the age of 59 to win ATP points if they win the tournament.
"I am playing the best tennis of my life and Jack is one of the greatest doubles players ever," Ackman said.
The hedge funder said they start practice for the tournament on Friday and he thinks they have a shot at winning given Sock's career history in doubles and major tournament victories.
"You never know," Ackman said. He told an X user that he was a "decent high school player" for tennis, but not good enough to later make a college team so he did Varsity Crew.
"I took up the game 21 years ago and have taken it seriously for the last decade."
Sock has a career 210-101 record in doubles with 17 titles won.
Read Also: New ETFs Let Investors Mirror Buffett, Ackman, Burry’s Top Stock Trades
Why It's Important: While it's certainly fun for Ackman to participate in a major tennis tournament, the story underscores the perks of fame and social media.
After Ackman shared a video of a tennis match featuring Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios offered the billionaire a tennis lesson.
Kyrgios also proposed to Ackman that they could take part in a tournament together and win.
"The power of X," Ackman added, citing how the social media platform facilitated their interaction.
Read Next:
Image: Shutterstock
