When I spoke with Eva Lys at Indian Wells in March about her love of fashion, I asked whether she hoped to attend runway shows, as her peers like Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka have done in recent years. “For sure, it’s definitely a dream of mine,” she told me, adding that her agent at Evolve, Carly Duguid—who was sitting right next to us—was well aware.
“I’m trying to send her a lot of stuff,” Lys told me of the opportunities and brand deals she wanted to secure as her career progresses. “I just sent her something I saw online and I’m like, one day!” Carly chimed in with a smile: “We’re working on it.”
Lys had another event in mind, too: the Oscars, which were taking place the following week. “I know I’m not an actress,” she said with a laugh, but she could picture herself walking the red carpet one day, as Coco Gauff and Serena Williams have done. She wasn’t expecting Duguid to find her a ticket for next week, but letting her know what she hoped might be possible down the line.
Players have always told their agents what they want, but social media has changed how often they’re confronted with what someone else already has. One top tennis agent told me players regularly send them deals they’ve seen their peers land online, asking bluntly, “Why don’t I have this?”
“It’s really tough to be a public figure and a player in the era of social media where you’re constantly, whether you’re doing it on purpose or not, comparing yourself to other players, and other athletes,” said the agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
She described this reality, wryly, as “the generational pain of representing Gen Z.” Players today are encouraged to think of themselves as brands, and they can watch other athletes’ brands flourish in real time on their phones. “I think it’s made for a more insecure era of players, naturally so,” the agent said.
Keep reading for more on how a blockbuster deal can reset other players’ expectations, why one agency thinks twice before posting its own deals, and how players’ online wish lists keep adding to agents’ already crowded to-do lists.
