One of the most commonly asked questions by every Martina Hingis Fan, is what are the best ways in which to contact her, how to get her autograph, and is it possible to meet her at all ?
What I have done for you in this Newsletter, is to list a variety of proven ways in which many of her Fans around the world have been successful in when trying to contact her. (Please note these methods are not guaranteed, and are based on the past experiences of myself and other Martina fans that I personally know.)
What method you choose really depends upon what you are actually seeking to obtain, so please read through the following and hopefully they will help you all achieve your aim, so good luck to you all and may your dreams come true !!
Martina's Mailing Address :
Perhaps the most proven and successful way to contact Martina is to write to her at her residence in Switzerland. A few hints for you first though. If you are simply writing a letter of congratulations to her, then please try to be as polite as possible at all times. (Being a world wide sports celebrity means, it is most unlikely that Martina reads all of the mail she receives at her private address without it first being checked by one of her staff, so to be sure that your message is past on, then being polite is obviously the best way possible.) If you are seeking an autograph from her, then it is definitely a lot easier if you enclose the item you would like her to autograph, together with a stamp self addressed envelope with it as well. (Please see commonly asked questions below for the different ways you can do this.) That way, you will be saving a lot of her time, and not actually requesting something from her for free. I know of a great number of fans who have written to Martina in Switzerland, and they have always received a reply from her, and on occasions, you may just find something extra enclosed as well. Please remember, that because Martina is on tour for the majority of the year, it could take quite some time before she replies to you, so don't give up hope if you do not receive anything for several months.
To Write To Martina in Switzerland, then here is the address you will need.
Martina Hingis
Seidenbaum
CH-9477 Trubbach
Switzerland
Martina's Managers Address
Another tried and proven method, is to forward the correspondence to Martina via her Agent. Rest assured, the letter will be delivered, and from my own personal experience, you will also most certainly receive a reply.
Mr. Ivan Brixi
Advantage International Headquarters
Advantage International
1751 Pinnacle Drive
Suite 1500
McLean, VA 22102
Phone: 703-905-3300
Some other proven methods of meeting Martina or getting her autograph are :
1.. Attend a Tournament at which Martina is playing in, and try and obtain her autograph by trying your luck after the match if you're lucky enough to be sitting near the right spot, (Where the players enter the playing arena.) or even better still, try to get to the Tournament early that day, and try and catch Martina practicing. She will often sign a few autographs after finishing her practice session, but please remember, be courteous and patient. On occasions, Tournament Officials, and/or her Sponsors will arrange for certain players to attend an "autograph session", so please check with the Tournament Officials before the Tournament commences to find out whether this opportunity may arise.
2.. At every Tournament, the every need of a player is looked after by a "Player's Services Centre". (That's what it is called at the Australian Open anyway, so the name may differ at every venue.) If you would like to have an item autographed by Martina, why not telephone this area prior to the Tournament commencing and ask them if you can send in a photo for Martina to sign, and enclose a stamp self addressed envelope. (Once again, please see commonly asked questions below for the different ways you can do this.) Once again, this has proven to be successful for some, but not all. It will largely depend on what the Tournaments Staff are willing to do to assist you. (In Melbourne, they are fabulous.)
3.. If you simply want to send Martina some good luck wishes when she is playing in a Tournament, you will often find that some Tournament Websites will allow you to send a "Player Postcard" to her. I know these are delivered to players, but you will not get a response from Martina at all, as she often receives several hundred a day. In some instances, you may receive an email from the Tournament Website thanking you for sending your postcard with a message that it will be delivered to Martina. This year, at the Le Gaz Open in France, everyone who sent a "Player Postcard" from the Website received a confirmation email.
Some Commonly Asked Questions :
Stamped Self Addressed Envelopes ? What are they ? What should you do if you live in another Country and cannot purchase Swiss Stamps, plus more.
Firstly, a stamp self addressed envelope is simply an envelope that you write out, and place your own name and address on the front of, together with some stamps (See Below) so that it makes it a lot easier for Martina to return anything that you send to her. It also goes to show her, that you are more than happy to pay for whatever you would like to have returned, rather than simply send her something to sign, and then expect her to cover the costs of returning any mail she needs to respond to. The costs of international postage rates are quite high, so to expect Martina to pay for every article to be returned would amount to quite a lot of money over the course of a year, especially given the amount of requests she would undoubtedly receive. Yes, Martina is probably very well off, but that isn't the point of this exercise. It is up to you to make everything simple and easy for her, and I'm sure that by doing this in this manner, it can only assist you more than the next person who doesn't wish to, or offer to cover any costs.
Earlier I made mention that the best way possible to receive a "Reply" would be to enclose a Stamp Self Addressed Envelope with whatever you send to Martina to get signed etc. This general rule, really only applies if you happen to live in Switzerland, and/or you can purchase Swiss Stamps from somewhere within the Country in which you live. As the majority of her fans live outside of Switzerland and cannot obviously do this, then I would like to offer you the following suggestions that have been used successfully by other fans around the world.
Whatever option you choose, is entirely up to you and largely depends on what your local Postal Services can do to assist you. Therefore, please consider these alternatives and choose the one that suits you the best :
1.. If you happen to live in say, the USA or Australia for instance (Please note, that this would almost certainly apply in most Countries around the world too.), I know for a fact that instead of buying Swiss Stamps to place on the envelope that you would like Martina to return your item to you in, then the you can quite simply purchase at your Post Office some International Reply Coupons. These can be used to send mail from any Country in the world to another Country, so it is that simple really. How much you wish to include in value is easy to calculate. First of all, let's say it is going to cost you US$10.00 to send your article to her in Switzerland. What I would then personally do, is to purchase the same amount in value of International Reply Coupons. (Rather than place the coupons on your self addressed envelope though, I would place them inside the envelope with a note for Martina to let her know that you have enclosed them for her to use.)
2.. Another option is, if you cannot purchase any International Reply Coupons in the Country in which you live in, then you can always send Martina an International Money Order, an International Bank Draft or Cheque/Check. (Payable to Martina Hingis) Once again, whatever it costs you, then simply purchase a Money Order/Draft or whatever for the same amount. If you are unsure of what currency to purchase, then I would use US$, as she now spends a great deal of time there, and would be able to bank the funds quite easily at some stage. I'm sure by doing this, it would not slow down the process of having her return your item to you.
3.. If you are simply sending something from within the same Country to a Tournament Venue in the same Country as I suggested you may do if you try using the "Player Services" approach that I use successfully in Melbourne, Australia, then everything is quite simple. All you need to do in these instances, is to use your local stamps only. (I.e. : Sending something from California to New York for instance, means you only need to use US stamps only.) It really is a great way of obtaining her autograph, but it is up to you to make the contacts at the Tournament she will be playing in, and I would recommend that you make the approach at least a month ahead of it commencing. (Especially for Grand Slams. Other Events may need only a two week approach.)
Can you contact Martina via email at all ?
The simple answer to that is, no you can't, even though Martina is more than likely to have an email address for personal and business reasons. Commonsense should prevail !!
If you write to her sponsors, what will you receive ?
This largely depends of which sponsor you are writing to as to whether they will forward you something such as a stamped autographed sponsors promotional photo, or card. Sponsors such as Opel and Bolle do have pre-printed Martina items available, but whether you are one of the lucky ones to receive one from them is anyone's guess. Adidas do have an Anna Kournikova Postcard, so I would imagine that they will eventually have the same available for Martina fans. The key to obtaining something from them, is to once again ensure you enclose a stamp self addressed envelope. (Refer above method for covering costs.)
Do you know Martina's Address in Florida ?
Unfortunately, her exact address in Saddlebrook, Florida is still unknown, however since she has moved there,
she has purchased a home near the Hopman's Tennis Academy and with her training base now at this famous Tennis Academy in Saddlebrook she now trains there alongside the likes of the great Pete Sampras.
The Saddlebrook Resort Complex where the Harry Hopman Tennis Academy is located, is possibly worth a try given the amount of time that Martina will be spending there training from now on. I'm sure if you were to forward something to the following address, then I would imagine that they would probably pass onto Martina any mail forwarded to her. (I have actually forwarded a letter to her at this address just recently to test out what response I get, so as soon as any confirmation is received, or vica-versa, I will post the news here for you.) The address to try is : (Please make sure you write you name and return address on the back of the envelope in case they do not pass it on to her at all. This way, you should receive your letter back.)
Mr. Gregory R. Riehle
Executive Director
Saddlebrook Resort
5700 Saddlebrook Way Wesley Chapel,
Florida 33543-4499
Another Exciting Suggestion !!
After writing the original article, I was emailed by a couple of fans who have also found a "very unique" way of being able to both meet Martina and also have her autograph something for them.
Have you ever considered volunteering as a Ball Boy/Girl or Tournament Official etc, for a Tournament that is being played in your City at all ? Then if you haven't, and you are "of the age" that the Tournament accepts volunteers for different roles in such as Ball Boys/Girls, then it could well be an idea to telephone the Tournament Venue a couple of months ahead of the Tournament, and offer your services whilst the Tournament is being played. It's a rather long road to be successful at getting a role at a Tournament, but it does work in some cases, so here's another method of perhaps getting the chance to meet Martina.
For those Fans who have children who love the game, then this maybe an ideal way of getting them involved more closely with the game itself. It's hard work, but from what I have read from those who have been able to gain a position doing something at a Tournament, then it is all very worthwhile. Mixing with all the Stars would be something quite special for anyone.
If anyone has any questions or queries about this Article, then please feel free to drop me a line OK. I hope you all gain something from this Article too, and it helps you to gain that elusive, but much loved Autographed Photo of The Princess herself. Trust me, once you have it, you will never part with it !!
If anyone else also has some other unique way of contacting her that isn't mentioned here that you would like to share with everyone, then please email me and I can let everyone know. (My thanks to those who emailed me about gaining a position at a Tournament and telling me what it was all like.)
Phil Cullen
philcullen@bigpond.com
ICQ : 25705953
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