Whether you are a fan of tennis or you simply enjoy collecting sports autographs, sending your requests through the mail will save you both time and money. Because the majority of sports also have a Hall of Fame that recognizes its most outstanding players, many fans have found great success in requesting autographs in their care. Tennis, like most other popular sports, has a Hall of Fame that features inductees from past to present.
If you would like to send an autograph request, be sure to include your return address in the upper left hand corner of the envelope and also include a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) with enough postage for your signed item to be returned. Below is a list of all living inductees of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, along with the mailing address in which to send your requests.
Mailing Address:
International Tennis Hall of Fame
194 Bellevue Ave.
Newport, RI 02840
Inductees:
Anderson, Malcolm
Austin, Tracy
Becker, Boris
Behr, Karl
Betz (Addie), Pauline
Borg, Bjorn
Brough (Clapp), Louise
Buchholz, Earl
Bueno, Maria
Cahil, Mabel
Casals, Rosie (Rosemary)
Chatrier, Philippe
Cheney, Dorothy
Clerici, Gianni
Collins, Arthur
Connors, James
Cooper, Ashley
Courier, Jim
Court Smith, Margaret
Cullman, Joseph
Douglass Lambert Chambers, Dorothea
duPont, Margaret
Durr, Francoise
Edberg, Stefan
Emerson, Roy
Evert, Christine
Falkenburg, Robert
Fraser, Neale
Fry-Irvin, Shirley
Goolagong Cawley, Evonne
Graf, Steffi
Hard, Darlene
Hart, Doris
Haydon Jones, Adrianne
Hewitt, Robert
Hunt, Lamar
Jacobs, Helen
Kelleher, Robert
King, Billie Jean
Kodes, Jan
Kramer, Jack
Larsen, Arthur
Laver, Rod
Lendl, Ivan
Mako, Constantine
Mandlikova, Hana
Martin, Alastair
McEnroe, John
McGregor, Ken
McMillian, Frew
McNeill, William
Mortimer Barett, Florence
Mulloy, Gardnar
Nastase, Ilie
Navratilova, Martina
Newcombe, John
Noah, Yannick
Novotna, Jana
Olmedo, Alejandro
Patty, John
Pietrangeli, Nicola
Rafter, Patrick
Ralston, Richard
Richards, Vincent
Richey, Nancy
Riggs, Robert
Roche, Anthony
Rose, Mervyn
Rosewall, Kenneth
Sabatini, Gabriela
Santana, Manuel
Savitt, Richard
Sedgnam, Frank
Segura Caano, Francisco
Seixas, Elias
Shriver, Pam
Smith, Stanley
Stolle, Fredrick
Tingay, Lance
Tinling, Cuthbert
Tobin, Brian
Trabert, Tony
Turner Bowrey, Lesley
Van Ryn, John
Vilas, Guillermo
Von Cramm, Gottfried
Wade, Sarah
Wilander, Mats
Wood, Sidney
Wrenn, Robert
Now that you know who to write to and where to send the letter, its time to consider what type of autograph you want to request. Many fans simply ask their favorite tennis player to send a signed photo, but others get more creative with sending their own tennis memorabilia to be signed. One popular example is a tennis ball, which can be shipped inexpensively and will make for a terrific addition to any autograph collection. Some fans also prefer to send blank index cards, t-shirts, trading cards, amateur photos that they have taken of their favorite tennis star or other sports-related memorabilia.
Its important to note that many tennis players are more than willing to accommodate their fans with autograph requests. It is equally important that, due to time and scheduling, tennis fans be patient with their favorite athlete(s) who are always on the go and receive a lot of fan mail. There is no way to guarantee who will or will not sign autographs, but a kindly worded letter, a SASE and sending one or two items to be signed will greatly increase the chances of success. Its a good idea to never send more than two items to be autographed and always be polite in your request. Happy collecting!