The racket

<p><b>'<i>A</i>s elegant and powerful as a Federer backhand ... It's <i>Kitchen Confidential</i> for tennis.' <i>Ed Caesar</i></b><br><br><b>'A really wonderful read ... Conor Niland has delivered an all-timer for tennis and sports journalism' <i>Ashlee Vance</i></b><br><br><b>'Conor Niland may only have managed a career-high ranking of 129 - <i>only</i>? that is some achievement in itself! - but <i>The Racket,</i> his account of how he managed this, is up there with the best half-dozen books on tennis ever written.' <i>Geoff Dyer</i></b><br><br><b>'I ate this book up ... reveals the sacrifices, commitment and decidedly unglamorous side of life on the tennis circuit' <i>Sinead Moriarty</i></b><br>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.<br><br>Conor Niland knows what it's like when Roger Federer walks into the dressing room (<i>'Ciao, bonjour, hello!'</i>), 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.<br><br><i>The Racket</i> 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, <i>The Racket </i>is a witty and revealing underdog's memoir and a unique look inside a fascinating hidden world.</p>