Ken Meyerson Has Passed Away

Written by: Staff on 20th October 2011

Ken Meyerson Has Passed Away |

It’s with great sadness we’ve heard of the passing of Ken Meyerson.

Ken was straight out of central casting…. he shouted… tennis agent! Hollywood thought so his personality was in the tennis film Wimbledon ….. He was a colorful character with a “Bollettieri Tan” and a big grin.

Ken represented Andy Roddick, as well as the Bryan Brothers, Jan- Michael Gambill, Derrick Rostagno, and Wimbledon winner Michael Stich.

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Sports Business Daily reported this morning that influential tennis agent Ken Meyerson has passed away.

Lagardere tennis agent KEN MEYERSON died last night in his sleep at the age of 47 from an apparent heart attack. “We are all just in a state of shock,” said JOHN TOBIAS, who ran the tennis division with Meyerson. “He was a big personality and was loved by so many people.” Tobias said he spoke with Meyerson for three hours on the phone yesterday and there were no indications of any health problems. Meyerson was best known for his representation of ANDY RODDICK. He also had represented such players as MICHAEL STICH, MARDY FISH and JUSTINE HENIN. A statement from Lagardere may come later this afternoon. Meyerson is survived by a wife and two children. He lived in Miami.

Tweets from Billie Jean King:

@BillieJKing:

I’m really sorry to hear about Ken Meyerson. WTT & I send our thoughts & prayers to his family & friends. He was always fun to be around.

@MardyFish

My guy. Miss you buddy. (with Twit Pic attached)

tamira1990 TamiraPaszek

“I am truly shocked and sad!! Ken, you were an amazing person. We will miss you and you’ll be in our hearts and thoughts forever….

More info from Tennis.com:

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.”

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.'”

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.'”

Topics: Ken Meyerson