After more than 20 years of working with the former No. 1, Eisenbud talked about how they were able to optimize brand collaborations without sacrificing the player’s concentration on the court.
Brand interest and partnership arrangements became the norm for teenage Maria Sharapova as she transitioned from wannabe professional to Wimbledon champion, and managing those commitments was crucial to her long-term success.
Max Eisenbud says, “The key is how do you maximize your earnings but still win,” in the most recent *Served with Andy Roddick* podcast episode.
Sharapova and Eisenbud have collaborated for more than 23 years. He guided her to five Grand Slam titles and a No. 1 ranking, which she initially attained in 2005, less than a year after winning her first Wimbledon championship at the age of 17. He is currently a Vice President of IMG.
Tiger Woods, the golf phenomenon who was at the top of his game in the mid-2000s, served as their inspiration as they worked to establish her brand.
“I spent a lot of time with my colleague Mark Steinberg, who worked on the 13th floor [at IMG], to figure out how Tiger was handling his deals.” He would like to set out three weeks each year to complete his shots, which would entail five sessions each week.
In the middle of the 2000s, Sharapova and Woods were the best in their respective sports; the former had the notable distinction of winning Wimbledon at the age of 17.
Together with Yuri, Sharpaova’s father, Eisenbud set to work right away, drawing red lines across the weeks that the adolescent was supposed to train and compete in WTA events in order to determine which time slots on Maria’s calendar were most suitable for sponsorship commitments.
We discovered that she could continue to improve as a tennis player for sixteen days out of the year. “Go make me as much money as you can in sixteen days,” Yuri commanded to me.
With athletes like Li Na, Emma Raducanu, Ajla Tomljanovic, and Madison Keys, Eisenbud is still using this tactic. He shared with Roddick an additional narrative of how Li, who went on to become the first Grand Slam singles champion from China, was the first player to be signed by Nike and wear patches on clothing.
Watch the upcoming edition of Served with Andy Roddick on T2, the second network of Tennis Channel, which premieres this Sunday, March 3.
