Sabalenka & Osaka’s Agent — Stuart Duguid: Everything About the Tennis Business

Anna Chakvetadze speaks with Stuart Duguid — the representative of Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka — about the behind-the-scenes world of sports, the business side of tennis, and personal stories that are rarely shared in public. Timestamps: 0:00 – Introduction 0:26 – From lawyer to tennis agent: how Stuart entered the sports world 1:04 – How Andy Murray’s mother helped launch his agency 1:40 – Myths about the work of a sports agent 3:00 – Working at Lagardere and IMG 3:55 – What makes IMG successful 4:27 – Reasons for leaving IMG 5:12 – How EVOLVE is different from other agencies 8:14 – Robbie Williams in a cat food commercial 8:43 – Would Naomi Osaka have been more successful in tennis if she hadn’t done commercials? 10:01 – What Naomi is like in business 11:01 – Which retail platforms matter for agents 11:26 – Working with Aryna as a representative from Belarus 12:46 – How Aryna and EVOLVE started working together 13:31 – Are personal relationships with an agent important? 14:39 – Why Aryna is a good fit for EVOLVE 16:11 – Social media and agency responsibility 17:17 – Does follower count influence sponsors? 18:22 – Why EVOLVE works with female athletes 20:13 – The “Battle of the Sexes” idea: Kyrgios vs Sabalenka 21:55 – Tennis calendar and creative projects 23:42 – Kyrgios and OnlyFans 24:35 – What Nick would do without tennis 25:33 – Rumor about Nick working with the BBC 26:57 – How the sport has changed in 5 years. Has the women’s tour become more interesting? 27:39 – What should change in ATP and WTA for equality 29:11 – Advice for aspiring athletes