"Thank God there was no social media when Maria Sharapova won; Emma Raducanu couldn't catch her breath": Agent Max Eisenbud on their maiden Slam wins
Maria Sharapova and Emma Raducanu's agent, Max Eisenbud, has drawn a comparison between the the two players' maiden Grand Slam triumphs.
Sharapova secured her first Major title at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships. At just 17, the Russian claimed a remarkable 6-1, 6-4 victory over two-time defending champion Serena Williams in the final.
Meanwhile, Raducana's triumph at the 2021 US Open echoed shades of Sharapova. The Brit won her maiden Grand Slam title at 18, beating Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the title match.
On the 'Served with Andy Roddick' podcast, agent Max Eisenbud spoke to the former World No. 1 about the contrasting paths of Emma Raducanu and Maria Sharapova.
He said that, while Raducanu was largely unknown before her US Open breakthrough, Sharapova had already established herself as a player to watch before her victory at 2004 Wimbledon. Eisenbud also recounted his strategic approach with the Russian, opting for patience until her breakthrough before signing any offers.
"Twenty years this year that she (Maria Sharapova) won Wimbledon. Her life changed obviously and my life changed. So, she went into that tournament seeded 13th at 17 years old, so it wasn't like an Emma Raducanu that came out of nowhere," he said (at 21:00).
"I don't think people thought she was going to win Wimbledon, but, you know, a couple weeks before she got to the quarterfinals of the French, the year before she got to the Round of 16 of Wimbledon. So, our mindset as the agent was like something big is going to happen and we're getting a lot of offers but we're going to stay patient," he added.
Eisenbud highlighted how Sharapova's victory at SW19 dramatically altered the level of attention she received.
However, he expressed gratitude for the absence of social media during the Russian's rise, contrasting it with the immense social media pressure Raducanu had to endure after her US Open triumph.
"Boom, then she wins and just everything changes. I mean, thank God there was no social media then. People always ask me to compare Sharapova winning to Emma," he said (at 23:20).
I mean, Emma won [US Open 2021] during this social media world which was crazy. Information was going so fast. Emma just couldn't catch her breath. Things were flying so fast. At least when Maria won, you could kind of catch your breath a little bit, you can put things in order and everything," he said (at 23:20).
"That whole 'Is Maria Sharapova the next Anna Kournikova?' thing, we were fighting a lot of that" - Agent Max Eisenbud
During the podcast, Max Eisenbud spoke to Andy Roddick about the efforts made by him and Maria Sharapova's team to provide her with the best environment to excel and become a Grand Slam champion.
"So, two months before Wimbledon, everything was about development and everything was about giving her (Maria Sharapova) the best environment, coaching, trainers, physio to be able to go deep and win a Grand Slam.
"And we were locked into that, turning down all sorts of deals and offers. Almost had a little security blanket around her to just really develop," he said (at 22:16).
Eisenbud also disclosed that during the Russian's rise, they also had to combat incessant comparisons to her compatriot Anna Kournikova.
"Because, at that time, she really was thrusted in, starting to become this next superstar.
"That whole 'Is this the next Kournikova?' thing, we were fighting a lot of that. We were just really trying to keep things as simple as possible for her to continue to be great," he added.
Maria Sharapova went on to win four more Major titles after her Wimbledon 2004 triumph, emerging victorious at the US Open in 2006, the Australian Open in 2008, and the French Open in 2012 and 2014.