Sportcal

Eisenbud elevated to lead client representation for WME Sports

The new client representation chief first joined the IMG agency in 2000.

The heavyweight WME Sports talent agency, owned by Endeavor and based in California, has promoted Max Eisenbud to a position as head of client representation.

Eisenbud, who most recently has been serving as head of clients for the IMG Tennis division of WME, will now oversee the whole WME Sports business, supporting clients across tennis, golf, action sports, and sports content.

The new client representation chief, 53, first joined the IMG agency in 2000, and has since gone on to represent some of tennis' biggest icons.

Christian Muirhead, co-chair at WME Group, has said: "There are few individuals like Max Eisenbud – an agent and a leader who is passionate, creative, and one of the hardest-working people in our business. Over the past 25 years, he has developed some of the world’s top tennis players and transformed IMG Tennis into the undisputed leader.

"Max is a natural fit to lead WME Sports into the future, where we will continue to invest and grow under his leadership.”

Endeavor still owns WME following its acquisition by Silver Lake (which has now completed the process of taking the media, sports, and entertainment giant private). However, in late April, it emerged that WME was in talks to sell its baseball talent representation arm, alongside its equivalent basketball business, to a trio of its biggest shareholders, to resolve conflict of interest disputes.

WME Basketball is being spun off as a result of WME parent Endeavor’s take-private by equity fund Silver Lake, as a result of investment from family office fund DFO Management in providing equity financing for the move.

Michael Dell, who heads DFO Management, also owns a stake in the San Antonio Spurs NBA franchise, and as such, WME Basketball’s presence in the private Endeavor entity would have constituted a conflict of interest.

In terms of high-profile IMG Tennis clients that Eisenbud has been leading the representation team for, these include current stars such as Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek, as well as icons Serena Williams, John McEnroe, and Andy Murray.