Aussie fans to pay to know name of new Hewitt baby

Sydney :

Fans of Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt can pay to be the first to learn the name of his newborn daughter through a text message service featuring top athletes, its director said Tuesday.

An "elated" Hewitt announced the birth of his third child on the family's website over the weekend but held back on her name, telling fans it would be "sent through Text A Star later in the week".

The Text A Star mobile service charges subscribers two dollars (two US) per text to receive messages from their favourite sports stars, promising "real messages from real stars in real time".

It primarily features Australian Rules footballers, but Hewitt is also on the company's books, sending his fans two messages a week and allowing them to respond.

Melbourne-based Text A Star said Hewitt would release the name on his website "soon after" subscribers received the message.

"Lleyton feels strongly about using this medium to communicate directly with his loyal fans, to give them an insight into his world before it gets disseminated by the mass media," director Peter Mann said.

It is unclear how much former world No.1 Hewitt will profit from the venture, but Text A Star said most of its earnings went to telecommunications providers, not the service or its clients.

Hewitt, 29, a former US Open and Wimbledon champion now ranked 54th in the world, has two children with wife Bec -- Mia, four, and 22-month-old son Cruz.