Lagardere's Ken Meyerson Passes Away

The tennis world was stunned by the news today that Lagardere's Ken Meyerson, longtime agent for Andy Roddick and many other tennis players and athletes, has passed away. There are conflicting reports on his age, with both 47 and 48 given, but whichever is correct, it is obviously a life cut short much too soon.

I did not know Meyerson well, but saw him at junior matches in New York and here in Kalamazoo, as well as in Florida. He was a familiar presence at the Orange Bowl and Junior Orange Bowl (where the above photo was taken several years ago) in his hometown of Miami, always on the lookout for new talent. Meyerson was the only agent Andy Roddick ever had, and he seamlessly made the transition from one agency to another, keeping his clients as he went from SFX to Best to Lagardere.

The ATP has a lengthy overview of his career on its website, with reactions from Lagardere.

Michelle Kaufmann of the Miami Herald has comments from IMG's Tony Godsick in her article on his death, and Tennis.com has reactions from Tom Ross, formerly of Octagon, and others in their news item.