Interview with Russian tennis player Anastasia Pivovarova: about the end of her career, the development of the Red Star agency and her path to media fame.
Anastasia, every sportsman has a few most memorable events in his sports career. What match left the most vivid trace for you and with whom?
Good afternoon! The most significant event for me was returning to the court after a difficult period in my life. At that time, I was going through the consequences of another injury and already thought that I would never be able to play again. But I overcame all the difficulties: lack of sponsors, team and many other things. In the end I won the tournament on grass, which was the most difficult for me – usually I couldn’t even win a match on grass. The tournament was held in Mildura, Australia. The matches lasted 3-4 hours in the intense heat – about 40 degrees Celsius. Besides, I suffered from insomnia and slept maximum 2-3 hours a night. Despite this, I was able to win. It was the loudest victory for me because I overcame everything I could.
If we talk about status events, it’s probably participation in Roland Garros. I made it through three rounds of qualifying, beating strong opponents, and then reached the third round of the main tournament, where I beat the world’s 11th-ranked player, China’s Zheng Jie, and lost to Samantha Stosur, who eventually reached the final.
When and how was the decision made to leave the big sport? Many people say that you need to leave at the peak of your career.
There have been many injuries in my career and I have ended it many times. I first decided to leave in 2014, I started working in the Presidential Affairs Directorate and did not assume that I would return. However, my health allowed me to make one more kambek and I took the chance. I was ready to finally end my career because of numerous injuries. At the same time I was getting an education and realized that I wanted to do something intellectually interesting, not connected with hard physical labor.
After finishing my career, I immediately went to study: first at the Higher School of Economics, then at the Skolkovo Business School on the MBA program. After that, I set up my own sports agency. I didn’t manage to leave at my peak – I left after another injury. In tennis, it’s difficult to determine where the peak of a career is, because nowadays athletes play until the age of 40. If you finish at 25, you may think that you have reached the maximum, but in fact the potential could be higher. The main thing is to end your career when you can no longer compete.
It’s impossible to quit sports altogether. How often do you exercise? What’s in your healthy diet? You are in such good shape that it is clear that you are not saying goodbye to sport.
I try to exercise three times a week, I go to the gym. It helps me to switch off from work and enjoy the process. I love the feeling of muscle fatigue after a workout, when blood flow is restored and everything returns to normal. I also play padel tennis, which is gaining popularity. We play with famous players and participate in media padel tournaments.
As far as nutrition is concerned, I have never been into fast food. I like meat, chicken, vegetables, fruits, healthy cereals such as rice, buckwheat, quinoa, spelt. I eat sweets rarely and in moderation, so I don’t have to stick to strict diets.
Anastasia, please tell us about your agency for the promotion and requalification of athletes. How did you come up with the idea to create your own business? Who is your team and how did you find each other?
The idea came when I was training in America and working with one of the largest sports marketing agencies in the world. This agency is successful in tennis, racing sports, and modeling. I had an agent – Max Eisenbad, who also worked with Maria Sharapova. Thanks to this, I gained valuable experience and wanted to apply it in Russia. I managed to realize what I had planned.
Now there are several people in my agency: a manager-assistant, a PR manager and a team engaged in content packaging and social networking for cooperation with brands. I’ve been doing the core work on my own for a long time, and expanded my staff only this summer. It wasn’t easy at first – earnings in this field are unstable, and I didn’t want to risk hiring until I was sure of the success of the project.
Who are your clients? Who should apply for personal brand promotion?
Now my main clients are hockey players and skier Alexander Legkov. I am happy to work with hockey players: they are respectful and disciplined people who understand the value of their work. In other sports, such as tennis, athletes often work with international agencies. However, when I am able to offer a tennis player for a brand, I work in partnership with their agents.
In the future, I plan to offer my services in soccer and possibly other sports. But it’s important for me to keep personal involvement in all processes, so I’m not going to recruit a large number of clients – that would reduce the quality of work.
Anastasia, tell us about your experience as a presenter. What were your first steps in this direction?
After my career ended, I received offers to work in studios. I have appeared on air, participated in radio programs, so it was not difficult to adapt to the role of a presenter. The main difference is that now I approach the broadcast more prepared: I am constantly studying information, analyzing matches and the progress of tennis players.
Filming takes place weekly, and more often during the Masters or the Final Tournament. We go live, discuss the matches, comment on the games. Our recordings can be found on YouTube, the BetBoom Tennis Telegram channel and on Twitch.
How do you combine sport and business? Do you often participate in conferences and forums?
I regularly speak at business conferences and forums. This is a great opportunity to share experience, listen to other experts and be inspired by new ideas. Cooperation between sport and business in Russia is an important tool for the development of the industry, and I try to actively participate in this.
What are your plans for the future? What events or competitions do you plan to attend?
I plan to take a short break after the ATP Finals in Turin and go to America for a vacation.
Anastasia Pivovarova is a professional tennis player, seven-time champion of Russia, former WTA Top 100 athlete and holder of 17 ITF titles. Today, she successfully combines her career as an entrepreneur and sports manager, being the founder of the Red Star agency, representing the interests of athletes in the professional arena.
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