Tennis fans often focus on the sport’s biggest stars, but beneath them, there are hundreds of players who struggle each year to break into the top 100 and dream of making a living from the sport. Among this group was Conor Niland, a man once considered a promising talent in Irish tennis, but whose career was hampered by injuries that kept him from shining.
Now 43, Niland released his biography last June, sharing details about life on the ATP circuit and how his efforts to succeed eventually led him to retire and pursue a more lucrative career in business.
Niland: The young prospect
The Irishman was born just months after Roger Federer and crossed paths with the Swiss star during junior tournaments, even defeating him on occasion. At the time, few could have imagined that Federer would go on to become one of the greatest players of all time. Meanwhile, Niland was being touted as a talent to watch.
However, financing his travels for international tournaments required sponsors and support—something that didn’t come easily. He received £10,000 annually from his country, but his best sponsor dropped him after he accidentally hit a linesman with a ball in 2008.
Niland turned professional in 2005, winning five Futures tournaments between 2006 and 2009 and reaching three Challenger finals during that period. But after the incident with the linesman, injuries began to take their toll, making his journey increasingly difficult.

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“I had just finished university in California, where I lived a good life. Traveling seven hours in a taxi on questionable roads for a paycheck at a Challenger tournament was a big wake-up call,” he told The Sun.
Niland’s frustrations
The costs of traveling to tournaments in an attempt to climb the rankings began to wear Niland down. “Every week, when I lost, I constantly thought: ‘Is this worth it?’”
In his book, he revealed that life on tour isn’t as glamorous as people think. “I met many good people, but I didn’t form any lasting friendships. I read a lot, which helped curb the boredom. Between matches, you don’t want to go sightseeing because you need to rest. In Slovakia, you can’t go to the movies because you don’t understand the language, right? These tough challenges made life pretty dull most of the time. There weren’t enough people around. It wasn’t uncommon to find yourself with no one around. Literally no one. That was a problem. I would have preferred a partisan crowd to no one at all.”
But after years of struggle, Niland finally got his reward in 2011 when he qualified for two of the world’s top tournaments: “The carrot of playing Grand Slams kept me going, and it’s no coincidence that I retired in 2012 after qualifying and playing in the main draws of Wimbledon and the US Open in 2011.”
At 29, Niland made his debut at the English Open, but another frustration lay ahead. After passing the first three rounds, he faced Adrian Mannarino, with the winner set to play Federer, his old teenage rival. Niland fell to the Frenchman, missing out on the dream match.
“Andre Agassi said he hated tennis. Sometimes I felt like tennis hated me. I think about the Mannarino match at Wimbledon almost every day. It was impossible not to think about playing Roger Federer on Centre Court. Obviously, I think that affected my ability to close out the match. It was bittersweet,” he revealed during his book launch.
His second Grand Slam: The US Open
Later that year, at his second Grand Slam, the US Open, Niland faced world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. But fate dealt him another cruel blow. “I woke up at 2 AM on Sunday, really sick from food poisoning. It’s hard enough to do any damage to Novak when he’s healthy, let alone when you’ve been completely ill for two and a half days. I was really struggling, completely drained, and feeling fragile, so it was just another kick in the teeth.”
The match ended with a 6-0, 5-1 retirement, allowing Djokovic to easily advance to the next round. At the time, Niland had climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 129, but it marked the end of his career.
Retirement and a new life
Niland announced his retirement in 2012 at age 30. Without millions saved from his tennis career and seeing no future in the sport, he returned to school and entered the real estate industry.
“It took me a while to adapt to the transition from being a professional athlete to the corporate world. I had never done an internship. I had no office experience. I had to learn how to print something correctly. All the basic things people learn at 22, I was learning at 30 after finishing my career,” he explained.
Niland found his footing in the commercial real estate sector and now works as an associate director specializing in retail and leisure at Cushman & Wakefield. Additionally, his book, The Racket, won the 2024 William Hill Sports Book of the Year award.