Eisenbud has worked with the former No. 1 for over two decades, and discussed how they maximized brand partnerships without taking away from her focus on the court.
As teenage Maria Sharapova went from aspiring pro to Wimbledon champion, brand interest and partnership deals became the name of the game, and juggling those committments were essential to her longterm success.
“The key is how do you maximize your earnings but still win,” explains Max Eisenbud on the latest episode of the
Grand Slam victories and a rise to No. 1, a mantle she first claimed in 2005, less than a year after winning her first Wimbledon title at 17 years old.
As the two sought to build her brand profile, they drew inspiration from none other than golf sensation Tiger Woods, himself at the peak of his powers in the mid-2000s.
“Mark Steinberg was a colleague of mine who worked on the 13th floor [at IMG], so I spent a lot of time with him to figure out how Tiger was managing his deals. What he’d like to do is take three weeks of the year to do his shoots, he would do five shoots a week in those weeks.”
We found that we have sixteen days a year that would not interrupt her becoming a great tennis player. Yuri said to me, ‘go make me as much money as you can in sixteen days.’”
