How to set the value of a max() to a variable in python

I was trying to make a very simple turn based game to practice Python, where there is a Troll and a Player that attack each other, and the way to determine who attacks first in that round is determined by a random function? If random is a function. So I've had this problem where once rolled the "Dices" there is an if else satment that determines who attacks first, based on a max() function to select the higher score of Initaitive, and I don't know how to set the value of the variable equal to the max(). Here is the full code:

import random

turn = 0


troll_health = 50
troll_status_effect = None
troll_damage = random.randint(1, 5)
troll_initiative = (random.randint(1, 10)) + 3

player_health = 30
player_damage = random.randint(5, 10)
player_initiative = (random.randint(1, 10)) + 5

start_fight = input('Do you want to start the combat?')

while start_fight == 'yes':
    attacks_first = max(player_initiative, troll_initiative)
    if attacks_first == player_initiative: # This is where I think that the problem is
        action = input('What do you do?')
        if action == 'attack' and (random.randint(1, 20) + 5) > 10:
            troll_health -= player_damage
            print(f'You take the troll {player_damage} points of damage.')
        else:
            print('You missed')
    else:
        if (random.randint(1, 20) + 2) > 13:
            player_health -= troll_damage
            print(f'The troll attacks, and now you have {player_health} ')