The Racket: On Tour with Tenniss Golden Generation - and the other 99%

ISBN: 1844886409

Author: Conor Niland

Condition: New

When Conor Niland was 16, he got the chance to hit with Serena Williams at Nick Bollettieris 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.

Conor Niland knows what its like when Roger Federer walks into the dressing room (Ciao, bonjour, hello!), and he has had the exquisitely terrible experience of facing Novak Djokovic in the worlds biggest tennis stadium - while suffering from food poisoning. But he never reached the very top.

The Racket is the story of pro tenniss 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, The Racket is a witty and revealing underdogs memoir and a unique look inside a fascinating hidden world.