Maria Sharapova’s Ex-Agent Sings Praises of Her Father in His Polar Opposite Behaviour of Richard Williams

Tennis parents are perceived as the overbearing type. Many of them have similar stories of struggle and sacrifice for their children to attain greatness. Maria Sharapova’s father Yuri Sharapov, and Venus and Serena Williams’ father Richard Williams have both sacrificed a great deal for their children and molded them into the personalities they are today. But is theirs the same story of struggle or happiness?

While the stories of relocating, financial issues, social stigmas, and their stubborn behavior to safeguard their daughters’ interests are similar, these two tennis parents differ greatly in their personalities.

Maria Sharapova’s Father Yuri Doesn’t Share Richard Williams’ Love of the Camera

The fact is that Yuri Sharapova and Richard Williams are the most successful tennis parents and this makes them share their daughters’ limelight. Both had great visions for their daughters and followed them at all costs, but as different individuals. Yuri was a much more reserved person off the court who did not indulge in interviews, while Richard was very outgoing and loved his 5 minutes of fame. On Andy Roddick’s podcast, Served With Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova’s ex-agent and one of Yuri’s best friends, Max Eisenbud revealed, “Yep. You know, he really, like you said when he was in the in the player box, he was a lunatic.

“And I would tell that to a face. I mean, everyone saw that. But he was doing that because he knew that’s what she needed to be pushed behind the scenes. That guy is probably one of the smartest guys I’ve ever been around. He never did an interview in his life. Never did one interview and it’s like, everything was about his daughter. He wanted no credit. He got paid to do it. You got offers to do everything. Never once would he ever do an interview,” he continued.