Max Eisenbud has made a name for himself at IMG as a manager for several women’s tennis players in the past. He recently featured in The Tennis Podcast in which he spoke about the likes of his current client Emma Raducanu of the UK, 5-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova and Chinese legend Li Na.
Eisenbud had many fascinating insights about Sharapova, some of which have turned out to be extremely funny anecdotes. And seeing Maria Sharapova’s ability to market herself, Li Na surprised him by wishing to sign him up without hearing any pitch.
Maria Sharapova’s fortune convinced Li Na
Winning the Wimbledon 2004 women’s singles title catapulted Maria Sharapova into a league which perhaps only Anna Kournikova was a part of, before her. Sharapova had famously defeated the Wimbledon reigning queen, Serena Williams in the final. The Russian’s glamourous looks and lifestyle made her visually appealing to tennis enthusiasts.
And at her peak, she managed to win 5 Grand Slam titles despite the WTA Tour largely dominated by the Williams sisters. It is believed that even when Sharapova’s powers on the court were on the decline, her off-court earnings had crossed the $38 million mark. That was the amount of her prize money winnings from tournaments.
Today, the Maria Sharapova net worth figure stands anywhere between $200-240 million as per multiple media reports. Many of her sponsors are still associated with her. Her endorsements with the likes of Nike, Porsche, Evian, Tag Heuer, Tiffanys, Land Rover and Motorola are remembered by her supporters till date.
China’s Li Na was one such player who was aware of Maria Sharapova being one of the richest women’s tennis players of all-time. Sharapova’s ex-manager, Max Eisenbud claimed in the podcast that Li Na was in his sights ever since the 2006 US Open when co-incidentally, it was his Sharapova who beat her in the Round of 32. However, Eisenbud had to wait for nearly 2-3 years due to the Chinese government’s restrictions that no player could be a free agent and that 80% of their winnings or income would go to the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA).
The moment Eisenbud found out that the rules were relaxed and that Li Na was ready to become a free agent, he set up a meeting with her. He was shocked that when she glanced at him after usual greetings, Li Na exclaimed – ‘You made Maria Sharapova rich, I am signing you up!’ Eisenbud expected to deliver the regular pitch but did not need to that day as Li Na’s awareness and preparations were spot on about the manager and the market alike.
Li Na created history soon after in 2011, winning the French Open which was historic since not many Asian players across any category had won it before. Her consistency up to 2015 was visible in the fact that she had managed to stay at the World No.2 ranking on the WTA Tour. She had also won the Australian Open 2014, which made her the first Chinese player to win 2 Grand Slam singles titles.
With these wins and Eisenbud as her manager, she also signed up with Nike like Sharapova did. Babolat, Rolex, Samsung, Mercedes-Benz and some other Chinese firms also roped her on board as part of their brand endorsements. Consequently, Li Na managed to triple her earnings.
While her prize money winnings were merely $6 million, Eisenbud indeed made Li Na richer too as she earned another $18 million in her career from sponsorships and other related bonuses, as per Forbes. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the current Li Na net worth figure stands anywhere between $60-65 million, making her one of the most marketable and richest Asian tennis players of all-time.
Maria Sharapova was not a gifted athlete according to her agent
In the same podcast, Max Eisenbud lightheartedly claimed that her client, Maria Sharapova is one of the ‘worst Grand Slam winners in tennis history’. Eisenbud admitted to be surprised with her success to an extent because she didn’t have as much talent and skill as compared to her esteemed competitors at the time.
However, he opined that Sharapova made up for that with an incredible work ethic and a winning mentality. Lauding the Russian star, he called her an ‘amazing young lady’ who knew what she was made of and wanted in business and in tennis both since Day 1 of their partnership.
