Watching the qualifying rounds for Wimbledon recently, one by one competitors who made it to the main draw of the tennis tournament would sink to their knees and weep as if they had won the title. I got that it’s a big deal to play at Wimbledon but it felt a tad dramatic. After reading former Irish tennis player Conor Niland’s fascinating book about life on the tour, it made sense why this is such an emotional moment for these players.
The former Irish No 1 writes about the day-to-day life as a professional if you are not one of the elite group fans recognise from just a first name – Rafa, Roger, Serena, Coco. Conor, who eventually reaches a top ranking of 129, starts off as a kid dreaming of one day winning Wimbledon, that dream slowly changes to just getting the chance to play at Wimbledon.
For most of his career he slogs through the lower circuits trying to win enough points to get to the top-tier level and barely making any money. At this level winning tournaments means making just a few hundred dollars – sometimes just a few dollars – once all the deductions come off. It’s also a lonely life, most of these players are not making enough to hire a full-time coach, let alone have an entourage, and the competitors are looking for wins not friends, sometimes it’s hard to even find someone to practise with.
Conor is incredibly honest and gives wonderful insight into life behind the scenes in the locker rooms, players’ dining rooms and tiny airports in the middle of nowhere. There’s funny moments, anecdotes about brushes with well-known names (he beats Roger Federer when they were both teens), victories and plenty of despair. It’s a must-read for any tennis fan.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.