The William Hill Sports Book Of The Year always identifies fantastic writing and this work from Irish ex-tennis pro Conor Niland lives up to the tradition.
The story of his struggles at the lower end of professional tennis, it’s a fascinating memoir that sheds light on the strange mix of unglamorous (washing your own sweaty kit in the hotel room sink) with the fairy tale (match points away from a clash with Federer on Centre Court).
Niland explains both the systematic problems and unfairness of the tour alongside his own personal struggles. Coming from Ireland, tennis just wasn’t a central sport and so from the start he was somewhat of an outsider. And it seems he carried this feeling of otherness through to his time on the Futures, Challengers, and ATP tours – some would say there is somewhat of an inferiority complex in these pages, although I’d say it’s more a sense of realism and honesty… which probably aren’t useful when you are deep in professional sport.
The lack of support for struggling players – whether financial, administrative, physiological, or mental – is stark. Niland hints at some solutions but you do feel he’d probably have quite a bit more to say on this in a different context.
There is a real sense of shared sadness and pain when he describes the missed opportunities of his career. You really feel his loss and regret, and how this can eat away at a sportsman’s core.
Above all. He is an excellent author and the book just flows along. Recommended.
