{
  "id": 2085313,
  "title": "Billionaire Ackman slams US Open ticket prices as absurd",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/billionaire-ackman-slams-us-open-ticket-prices-as-absurd",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-20T06:09:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/billionaire-ackman-slams-us-open-ticket-prices-as-absurd/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hedge fund investor Bill Ackman has criticized the United States Open tennis tournament for its exorbitant ticket prices. A day one ground pass, which grants access to the event at Flushing Meadows, costs $363, or £268. However, this price does not include entry to the show courts, with tickets for those locations costing even more. In comparison, an equivalent ground pass at Wimbledon, the prestigious tournament held in London, costs only £33. Ackman also pointed out that Wimbledon's strict queue system prevents ticket resellers from buying and reselling large groups of tickets, unlike Flushing Meadows where reselling is allowed. The US Tennis Association, which owns the US Open and is a non-profit organization, allows Ticketmaster to act as a reseller. Ackman expressed his disbelief on social media, questioning how a $363 ground pass aligns with the mission of promoting tennis. Ackman, who previously made headlines with his £50 billion proposal to purchase Universal Music Group, is also a tennis enthusiast. In 2023, he made his ATP Tour debut but was defeated by Jack Sock in the doubles tournament. The 60-year-old billionaire faced another setback when the Tennis Hall of Fame rejected a $10 million gift from his CEO. This year's US Open will be the second to include the Mixed Doubles Championship, an event that pairs top singles players to form doubles teams for a longer run of matches. Despite this addition, doubles specialists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori successfully defended their title in 2024, defeating Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud in the final.",
  "summary": "Billionaire hedge fund investor Bill Ackman has slammed organisers for the US Open tennis Grand Slam organisers over the price of tickets. A day one ground pass will set fans back $363, or £268. This will not give fans access to the show courts, with tickets for those set at an even higher price. an [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}