The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AUSTRALIAN born Lleyton Hewitt won his first career title as an unknown teenager in Adelaide in 1998. Sixteen years later, the Bahamian resident with ties to the Bahamian Brewery Beverage Company won his 29th title in Brisbane.

His latest feat came with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory against Roger Federer on Sunday in the final of the Brisbane International on the eve of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

It was just the first win for the 32-year-old since 2010, a grass court tournament in Halle, Germany, where he again knocked off Federer.

“For the first set I was seeing the ball like a football. Didn’t really matter where he served, I was on it,” Hewitt said. “I felt great out there.”

Hewitt, who will turn 33 in February, is still the best Aussie male player. But now as a resident of Old Fort Bay, Hewitt shows his allegiance to the Bahamas and the Bahamian Brewery Company, owned by James ‘Jimmy’ Sands.

Hewitt started wearing the Sands Beer logo on the arm of his jersey at the 2012 Australian Open. He continued wearing the logo at the majority of his tournaments last year, including the prestigious Wimbledon in England and the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York. He did it again in Brisbane.

In October, Sands and the Bahamian Brewery hosted a “thank you” luncheon for Hewitt at Luciano’s of Chicago.

Hewitt, a former No.1 player in the world, was introduced to the Bahamas by Mark Knowles and it has been a love affair ever since.

Knowles actually came out of retirement last year to team up with Hewitt in doubles at Wimbledon, but their union was short lived as they got eliminated in the first round.

Having attained the early success in Brisbane, Hewitt is hoping the Sands Beer logo will continue to be a charm for him this year.