{"product_id":"conor-niland-the-racket-2024-paperback","title":"Conor Niland: The Racket [2024] paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eA\u003c\/i\u003es elegant and powerful as a Federer backhand ... It's \u003ci\u003eKitchen Confidential\u003c\/i\u003e for tennis.' \u003ci\u003eEd Caesar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A really wonderful read ... Conor Niland has delivered an all-timer for tennis and sports journalism' \u003ci\u003eAshlee Vance\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Conor Niland may only have managed a career-high ranking of 129 - \u003ci\u003eonly\u003c\/i\u003e? that is some achievement in itself! - but \u003ci\u003eThe Racket,\u003c\/i\u003e his account of how he managed this, is up there with the best half-dozen books on tennis ever written.' \u003ci\u003eGeoff Dyer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'I ate this book up ... reveals the sacrifices, commitment and decidedly unglamorous side of life on the tennis circuit' \u003ci\u003eSinead Moriarty\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConor Niland knows what it's like when Roger Federer walks into the dressing room (\u003ci\u003e'Ciao, bonjour, hello!'\u003c\/i\u003e), 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Racket\u003c\/i\u003e 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, \u003ci\u003eThe Racket \u003c\/i\u003eis a witty and revealing underdog's memoir and a unique look inside a fascinating hidden world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Niland, Conor","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":48736323305811,"sku":"9781844886418","price":15.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"Good","offer_id":50875201159507,"sku":"XG81844886418","price":6.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"Very Good","offer_id":49380541432147,"sku":"XV81844886418","price":8.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Like New","offer_id":52111062106451,"sku":"XE81844886418","price":9.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0616\/4001\/6057\/files\/niland-conor-conor-niland-the-racket-2024-paperback-58820653515091.jpg?v=1760353359","url":"https:\/\/keatsandchapman.info\/products\/conor-niland-the-racket-2024-paperback","provider":"Chapters Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}