Success also means adapting – and if necessary, completely reinventing yourself. This is what, for example Tennis pro Mischa Zverev and became a blueprint for athletes who have to take a new path at the latest after the end of their active career. He has built up another mainstay as an entrepreneur and investor.

In 2020, when tournaments and coaching were put on hold by the corona pandemic, he got creative and founded his company Tiebreak Ventures to use and invest his assets smartly. Previously, he invested in real estate across Europe.

“I didn’t wake up one day thinking tennis is boring. I woke up thinking I need money.”

Why do (ex-)athletes make good investors in the sports business? Because they know the business inside out and also benefit from their experiences as athletes. Business and sports have a lot in common, says Zverev. For example, in sports you learn to keep a cool head even in tense situations and to deal with defeats constructively.

Mischa is a prime example of how it pays to start over completely in a different field and rebrand yourself.

“At some point, we all stop playing professional sports, but then we can work on becoming cool investors* for the next Unicorn.”