The Racket: Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2024

Conor Niland's "The Racket" is an absolute triumph, serving up a captivating and deeply personal insight into the demanding world of professional tennis. Far from being just another sports memoir, Niland delivers a powerful narrative that resonates with anyone who has ever pursued a dream with unwavering dedication. What truly sets this book apart is Niland's remarkable honesty and vulnerability. He doesn't shy away from the grueling realities of the circuit – the relentless travel, the physical toll, the mental fortitude required to face both victory and defeat. Yet, amidst these challenges, his passion for the game shines through every page, making his journey incredibly relatable and inspiring. Niland's writing is as precise and engaging as his on-court play. He paints vivid pictures of the tournaments, the locker room camaraderie, and the solitary moments of reflection. His ability to articulate the nuances of the sport, from the tactical battles to the emotional highs and lows, is truly exceptional. Even if you're not a die-hard tennis fan, you'll find yourself drawn into the drama and intensity of his experiences. "The Racket" is more than just a story about tennis; it's a testament to resilience, self-belief, and the pursuit of excellence against all odds. Conor Niland has crafted a memoir that is both insightful and deeply moving, leaving the reader with a profound appreciation for the sacrifices and triumphs of a professional athlete. This book is a must-read for sports enthusiasts, aspiring athletes, and anyone seeking a story of courage and determination. Highly recommended!

The book gives a great insight into the life of a player on the Challenger Tour. He documents the physical and mental challenges he faced - the relentless travel and financial struggles faced by those not on the Main Tour. He is willing to highlight his loneliness and continual pressure to improve his ranking but always in an engaging and insightful way. He also talks frankly about the transition players face when heading towards the end of their career. Niland writes with fluent ease , engaging witty and full of self-deprecation which just draws you into his world easily. My only slight criticism is that it would have been interesting to discuss some of the more technical aspects of the game now and again.

I am not a tennis fan at all but I wanted to learn more about life of second-tier professional sports people. I did not regret. The book is an honest, unpolished story of a professional player who played tennis as his full-time job for seven years. The author is probably the most accomplished Irish player of all times, so he knows what he wrote about. The money, re-adjustment of dreams and goals, pain of seeing success of others in your generation, grind of playing non-stop many weeks and months in a raw, injuries - it is all here. The book is well written and even for a layperson who knows nothing about tennis is was an easy read. The description of the main match in the author’s life is a nail-biting thriller. I read it before going to bed and could not fall asleep for a couple of hours after that, such was the nerve of the game, and of course its brilliant description. Thank you, dear Conor. I enjoyed the book and I hope all is well after your retirement (or should I say quitting).

How can anyone afford to be a tennis pro in the early years on the Futures or Challenger tours? Couldn't put the book down. Highly recommended.

Great read. It offers a glimpse into the world of pro tennis from the perspective of those who don't make any headlines. Niland's journey, from hitting with Serena Williams at 16 to facing Novak Djokovic while battling food poisoning, is filled with raw and honest moments. It captures the challenges and triumphs of the sport's underdogs, detailing the social dynamics, economic struggles, and dark undercurrents of gambling and doping. Niland's witty and revealing narrative makes this an insightful read for any tennis enthusiast or anyone curious about the reality behind the glitz and glamour of professional tennis.

Excellent insights from Conor and applicable to life in general.

Very basic writing style, in lots of parts it is an endless report of match scores "then i lost 6-2 6-2 to Mr Jones, then i won 6-4 6-4 with Mr Brown, then i was eliminated in the quarter finals by Mr Green" and so on pretty much for 70% of the book. Overall offers a good insight in the steuggles of a second tier player, exposing an issue with yhe tennis scoring/prize system, however, the book could have been easily half the pages and still feel redundant in lots of passages. Some stories are funny/entertaining but this probanly accounts to 10 pages out of a few hundreds. Lastly, in places the author tends to blame others for his lack of stardom success, which might be partially correct, however, that sounds a bit pathetic. Still feel for him as he was undoubtedly talented but in a sport where money is made obly by the top 10-20, if by 25 you haven't made it, if you continue on that path, not sure what is to be expected. Is it fair? No. Is it predictable yes. So why complaining afterwards. Want to read a great tennis book? Go for agassi's biography Open; better written, more entertaining, still honest and informative about the struggles of top players (let's remember Agassi too had to restart from scratch, the difference is that he know he was better than most/all.

Fun read and insight behind the scenes. The stuff you don’t generally see. Not everyone is Rafa, Nole, etc.

Sehr interessant! Danke!

I really enjoyed this book .. excellent insight into professional tennis .. and the classy personality of the author jumps off the page …

Excellent book well written. Gives good insight on competitive tennis and how difficult to make it.

A great book, Conor takes you along on his journey in a engaging way. A real page turner!

Nighland (and not Neeland, as he regularly points out) writes passionately and elegantly about his sport and the life it gave him as a child and young adult. I read the book in rather less time than it takes to complete a 5-set match and honestly enjoyed every page. The book does nothing to dispel the opinion that tennis is a sport for rich kids – without some kind of financial support life on the lower reaches of the tour would be impossible. So why 4 stars rather than 5? It would have been nice if the author had managed to acquire some photos to illustrate his career highs and lows. We all know what Federer looks like but not the run-down clubs and cheap hotels which are home to a Futures competitor. Niland is now coaching but his pupils would do well not listen to all of his advice – one of his stated ambitions is to be the greatest ever Irish singles player, a position he currently holds. The risk of him being usurped seems limited at the moment with no Irishman in the ATP500!