Conor Niland. Tennis Player
I would dare say that Conor Niland wouldn’t even be a household name in tennis households in Ireland. As a tennis player from the island, I know he is now the Irish Davis Cup captain and followed his playing career many years ago.
This is an autobiography about his life on the tennis tour, specifically the lower reaches of the tennis tour. He reached a career high ranking of 129 before injury cut short his career.
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are household names from the tennis world. They have won extensively on court and in doing so have earned themselves a privileged existence. Travelling from tournament to tournament. Paid to wear sponsors clothes and use their rackets. Appearance money simply to turn up and hit a few balls and have a few photos. There are other lesser known players in the professional ranks that also have earned themselves a career earnings too, perhaps not at the level of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic but nevertheless have earned enough money to never have to work again.
Ireland’s Conor Niland
Conor Niland was also a professional tennis player, this book documents his career from when he learned how to hit a ball at his home courts and then progresses onto playing u12 in the UK and eventually to University of California Berkeley where he played NCAA tennis.
I find it hard to avoid spoilers when doing a book review. As a sports fan this book is definitely with a read. As sports fans, we make so many assumptions about the easy life of tennis playera, surely players ranked outside the top 200 in the world make a handsome living, they would travel around in tournament cars, be put up in the best of hotels. Have physios, stringers, sports psychologists and coaches.
Perhaps the best footballers, golfers, basketballers and boxers are all afforded these luxuries but sadly for tennis players outside the grand slam cut off of 100 they are not. Tennis players must struggle for years on the lower satellite and challenger tours, just about covering their losses from tournament earnings.
It’s shocking that this is still the case nowadays. Niland recounts every step of his professional tennis career, every ball hit and every flight taken. Its remarkably interesting, a story of perseverance, adversity and personal development. Its a super read.