By his teens it was clear that Winston had tennis potential he won a slew of regional junior titles, but LiLin admits the family was "in a way, totally naive" about their Winston's future prospects until colleges came calling.
LiLin, who grew up in Beijing, China, didn't take up tennis until he was around 40, and his young son became his frequent playing companion, often indoors in the cold winters at the Miller Tennis Center in Williamsville, N.
The behemoth from Beaverton, Oregon has already shown how much it values the Chinese market by signing sponsorship contracts with stars like NBA phenom Jeremy Lin, tennis star Li Na and Olympic hurdler Liu Xiang.