The Racket: Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award

Name: The Racket: Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award
Price: 10.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.5 (1451 reviews)
Author: Conor Niland

by Conor Niland

Memoir

4.5 (1,451)

4.5 stars from 1,451 reviews. Top 85% of Memoir books we track.

211 pages~3.5 hr readPublished by Random HousePublished 2024-06-06

$10.99Deal27% off peak

Last checked: Jun 3, 2026

Price history: $1.99 – $14.99

While not the biggest discount we've seen for this book, it's still a great deal and we recommend grabbing it before price returns to its normal range.

Price range: $1.99 – $14.99

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Perfect for you if...

You love tennis but are tired of hagiographies about the Big Three and want the grittier, more honest side of professional sport.
You've read Kitchen Confidential or similar insider memoirs and want that same unflinching access to a completely different world.
You're drawn to underdog stories that celebrate people who didn't quite make it to the absolute top but achieved something remarkable anyway.

Maybe not for you if...

You're looking for tactical tennis analysis or want to improve your own game, as this is memoir and social commentary, not instructional.
You prefer hagiographies of champions and aren't interested in the economic realities or harder truths about professional sports.
You want a long narrative arc spanning decades. This is a focused 211-page snapshot of life on the lower rungs.

About this book

Conor Niland's memoir recounts his career as a professional tennis player who achieved a career-high ranking of 129. At 16, he was selected to train with Serena Williams at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy as the Irish junior number one. During his professional career, he encountered top players including Roger Federer and faced Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam stadium while suffering from food poisoning, yet never reached the sport's highest levels. The Racket documents the experiences of professional tennis's lower-ranked players—those who travel globally pursuing ranking improvements and Grand Slam entry while earning barely enough to cover expenses. The book examines the social dynamics, economics, and darker aspects of professional tennis, including gambling and doping. It contrasts the lives of elite players with coaches and physiotherapists against the isolation of touring professionals struggling financially. Niland's account combines memoir with an insider's perspective on professional tennis, exploring the sacrifices, commitment, and unglamorous realities of life on the circuit. The book won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$1.99 – $14.99

Currently on sale at $10.99 — 27% off peak. Price has dropped 1 time over the last 15 months. Typically stays discounted for 24 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #54K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller. Sales have softened 28% recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 4.5★ from 1,451 reviews

Gaining approximately 57 new reviews per month. Steady word of mouth growth. Rating has remained stable at 4.5 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $10.99. It typically returns to around $14.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.