Penguin The Racket: Conor Niland Tennis Biography | Paperback

The Racket by Conor Niland offers an unflinching, witty, and revealing look inside the hidden world of professional tennis, focusing on the 99% of players who fight for ranking points just to cover their expenses. This memoir provides a unique perspective from an underdog who shared the court with legends like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

• Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.
• Offers an inside track on life on the lower rungs of the professional tennis circuit.
• Details the social dynamics, economics, and challenges faced by touring pros.
• Includes anecdotes from hitting with Serena Williams at age 16 and facing Djokovic in major stadiums.
• A vivid account of the gap between the super-rich players and those barely covering tour costs.
• Explores the shadows cast by gambling and doping within the sport.

Written by Conor Niland, who achieved a career-high ranking of 129, this book is hailed by critics as one of the very best tennis autobiographies ever written, blending passion for the sport with a realistic study of the tour's traumas.

• Author: Conor Niland
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 29 May 2025
• Print Length: 320 pages
• ISBN-13: 978-0241998076
• Dimensions: 129 x 15 x 198mm
• Weight: 200 g

Discover the realities of the pro tour through the eyes of Ireland’s greatest ever tennis player in this essential read for any tennis enthusiast.