The man behind Sharapova's millions

From the time they met 15 years ago, Maria Sharapova has been able to count on a man who has masterminded her rise to becoming the world's highest-paid female athlete.

"He knows everything that's going on. He knows where I'm going to be tomorrow, he knows where I am now," she told CNN's Open Court show, CNN reported.

"He" is Max Eisenbud, who first met the Russian when she was a 12-year-old tennis hopeful working with renowned coach Nick Bollettieri in Florida.

Then Eisenbud had a low-paying job liaising with young players' parents at the Bradenton academy that IMG bought off Bollettieri, but now he's Vice President of Tennis at the world's leading sports agency -- having made a fortune not only for Sharapova but also China's most bankable tennis star, Li Na, the No. 2 earner on Forbes' 2012 female athlete list.

"As an agent you just get lucky sometimes, and I'm just a really lucky guy," said the 41-year-old agent.

"I just really try not to mess it up!"

Deal maker

His lucky day came on July 3, 2004 when the 17-year-old Sharapova stunned Serena Williams -- and the tennis world -- in the Wimbledon final to win her first grand slam title.

With her model looks and youthful charm, blue-chip sponsors fell over themselves to get a piece of the action. Forbes magazine reported that Sharapova earned almost $28 million in the year up until June 2012 -- $22 million of that was from endorsements.

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