Despite a report last week that Martina Hingis signed a
$2-3M endorsement deal with Merrill Lynch, Hingis may not be
an "official Merrill Lynch endorser," according to Daniel
Kaplan of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Hingis has been
wearing the Merrill Lynch bull logo on her sleeve during the
Australian Open, but the company is "very clear" that she
has "not become" its "first-ever corporate endorser."
Merrill Lynch spokesperson Susan Thomson: "There currently
is no financial arrangement with Ms. Hingis. We are proud
to have Ms. Hingis as a client, and we are honored to have
her wear the Merrill Lynch logo in the current Australian
Open as an extension of that relationship." Thomson added
that Hingis' representatives at Octagon "approached her
Merrill financial consultant about wearing" the logo for "no
fee because she was happy" about the company's services.
Kaplan writes that's it's "unclear whether Octagon hoped"
that Merrill Lynch "would take the next step and pay"
Hingis. Hingis said that she "signed a deal" with Merrill
Lynch on January 1 but "would not elaborate." Octagon reps
"declined to comment" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/24 issue).
BACKHANDED? Hingis said she "guess[ed] Serena
[Williams] is quite heavy, although she lost a lot of
weight," but added of Williams' new red-and-black Puma
outfit, "I love her dress" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/22).
