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When Conor Niland was 16, he got the chance to hit with Serena Williams at Nick Bollettieri’s famed tennis academy. Conor, the Irish junior number one, was feeling a bit homesick. Serena, also 16, already owned her own house beside the academy.
Conor Niland knows what it’s like when Roger Federer walks into the dressing room (‘Ciao, bonjour, hello!’), and he has had the exquisitely terrible experience of facing Novak Djokovic in the world’s biggest tennis stadium – while suffering from food poisoning. But he never reached the very top.
The Racket is the story of pro tennis’s 99%: the players who roam the globe in hope of climbing the rankings and squeaking into the Grand Slam tournaments. It brings us into a world where a few dozen super-rich players – travelling with coaches and physios – share a stage with lonely touring pros whose earnings barely cover their expenses. Painting a vivid picture of the social dynamics on tour, the economics of the game, and the shadows cast by gambling and doping, The Racket is a witty and revealing underdog’s memoir and a unique look inside a fascinating hidden world.
Conor Niland grew up in Limerick, and was Ireland’s top-ranked tennis player for much of his youth and all of his adult career. As a youth player he beat Roger Federer – and he still has his coach’s notes on the match. His career peaked in 2011, when he reached the main draw of both Wimbledon and the US Open. He lives in Dublin with his wife and two children.
Gavin Cooney is a sports writer and broadcaster at The 42, primarily covering football, golf, and stories of major interest across all other sports. He has reported on multiple international sports events including the Olympic Games, the Fifa World Cup, and the Masters.