Jeremy Jin, 13, has got the best of both worlds. Born in Australia to Chinese parents, Tennis Australia has nurtured the talented teenager, and now a large sponsorship from his parents' homeland is underwriting the next chapter of his career.
Ranked number one at under-13 level, Jeremy is heading to Barcelona's Bruguera Tennis Academy - one of the best in the world - for the next 12 months. His mother Lucy knows how fortunate he is.
"Now the Chinese Sports Foundation is supporting Jeremy, he's very lucky," she told SBS News.
The three-year, six-figure sponsorship deal will be celebrated by all involved in Beijing before Jeremy heads to Barcelona on Christmas Eve.
Jeremy told SBS News: "I'm a bit nervous but I'm also looking forward to it."
His rise has in part been helped by the Australian based International Chinese Tennis Federation (ICTF). Now with a sponsor in place and a spot at the academy, only one thing stands in his way.
"The only box he has to tick now is his own effort," ICTF Chairman Willie Hong said.
And it's not just at the elite level that Chinese participation in tennis is growing. The ICTF is hosting the seventh International Chinese Tennis Club Challenge from the 7th-9th of January in Sydney. Players must be 40 years or older and the event, which is being run in conjunction with the Sydney International Tournament, has the full backing of Tennis Australia.
