Ken Meyerson, the longtime agent of Andy Roddick, passed away in his sleep Wednesday night. The 48-year-old was the apparent victim of a heart attack.
The ambitious Meyerson quickly climbed the ladder of success as an agent, signing Roddick, Justine Henin, Chris Evert, Gael Monfils and, recently, the Radwanska sisters. He spent time at various agencies and was most recently the president of the tennis division of the giant company Lagardère Unlimited, which has offices in the U.S., Paris and Singapore, and also represents other sports stars including the NBA’s John Wall and Dwight Howard, and the NFL’s Randy Moss. Meyerson was fluent in French, which helped him sign the likes of Henin and Monfils and also to ink a huge deal for Roddick with the French-based Lacoste.
Max Eisenbud, the agent of Maria Sharapova and Vice President of IMG Tennis, told TENNIS.com: "I am in shock, he was a legend in the tennis industry, I can’t imagine being at a Grand Slam and not seeing him, I can’t imagine trying to sign a player and not have to compete against him. We competed hard against each other, but he was a fun guy who always made you smile. He loved his clients and fought really hard for them."
Meyerson brought his team over from the BEST agency to Lagardère in May 2009. "I’ve been amazed by the vision of Ken Meyerson and his team and by his drive as a manager," Lagardère chief Arnaud Lagardère said at the time.
Tom Ross, the president of TPR Advisers and the former agent of Lleyton Hewitt and current agent Michael Chang and Todd Martin said:
"It was no secret that we butted heads a few times over the years, especially in our younger days, but I grew to be genuinely fond of him," said Ross, who was a longtime Senior Vice President of Tennis at Octagon. "He was a character in our world, no doubt, but his devotion to clients earned my respect, and the long standing relationships he had with many of them speaks for itself."
Octagon Tennis Managing Director Micky Lawler added: "Everyone at Octagon was shocked to hear the tragic news about Ken's passing. "While the game of tennis is global, the community of people who work in the business is rather small and you quickly learn to respect those who you are constantly competing against. Ken was fiercely loyal to his clients and he will always be remembered for that."
Meyerson had become active on Twitter as of late and recently sent out congratulatory tweets to Agnieszka Radwanska, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic, the last one which appeared on Wednesday, October 19.
Roddick said on Twitter: "I love you and miss you. I will be forever grateful for your faith & loyalty, You will forever be my brother. As always 'thanks Meyerson.'"
Other players expressed sympathy on Twitter including Novak Djokovic, Mardy Fish, John Isner, Somdev Devvarman, Mahesh Bhupathi, Tamira Paszek and Alla Kudryatseva.
Another one of Meyerson's clients, Chilean player Fernando Gonzalez tweeted: "We [going to really miss] Ken like he use to say 'wuuoooh love you baby.'"
Lagardere Chairman Arnaud Lagardère said: "Ken was a very hard worker and was always determined to do his best, both for his clients and for the company. “His clients were his extended family and there was nothing he wouldn't, or couldn’t, accomplish on their behalf. Ken is, and will remain, an inspiration to all of our agents. We were proud that we chose him to start our U.S. sports operation. He became, and will always be, one of my closest friends and I will miss him dearly."
Meyerson is survived by his wife, Claudia, and daughters Charlotte and Emily.—Matt Cronin