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Billionaire investor Marc Lasry sees ‘huge opportunity’ for innovation in tennis

Hot on the heels of Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Hong Kong, Lasry says at the Post’s Family Business Summit the sport is ‘ripe for disruption’

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Marc Lasry believes disruption in sport is possible even if it is ‘really hard’. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Paul McNamara

Billionaire investor Marc Lasry believes professional tennis is “ripe for disruption”, and revealed he had discussed ideas for innovation with the sport’s officials.

Speaking on the sidelines of the South China Morning Post’s Family Business Summit 2025 on Friday, Lasry said he thought leading figures in the game were open to change.

“I have talked to the folks there, and we are trying to do a couple of things,” he told the Post at the Rosewood Hong Kong hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, before taking part in a panel discussion on how owners are building sports empires.

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Global sport’s ultimate disrupter, LIV Golf, this week ceded to the establishment when it switched its tournaments from 54 holes to the traditional 72. In football, plans for a European Super League hit fierce resistance from fans as soon as they were aired in 2021.

But Lasry, the former co-owner of NBA franchise the Milwaukee Bucks, said the potential for disruption in sport still existed, even if “it really is very hard”.

Marc Lasry attended the Post’s Family Business Summit at the Rosewood Hotel. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Marc Lasry attended the Post’s Family Business Summit at the Rosewood Hotel. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Tentative moves to introduce tennis to new audiences have included the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, a shorter, faster format that came to Hong Kong for a tournament last month.

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