{"product_id":"the-racket-on-tour-with-tennis-s-golden-generation-and-the-other-99","title":"The Racket: On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation – and the other 99%","description":"When 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.\n\nConor Niland knows what it’s 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 world’s biggest tennis stadium – while suffering from food poisoning. But he never reached the very top.\n\nThe Racket 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, The Racket is a witty and revealing underdog’s memoir and a unique look inside a fascinating hidden world.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 1844886409\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: DBV.1844886409.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Conor Niland\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing, but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing, and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. May be ex-library with library markings. Ships promptly!  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Dream Books Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41445285527610,"sku":"DBV.1844886409.G","price":24.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/6011\/0138\/files\/1844886409-0.jpg?v=1780691119","url":"https:\/\/shop.dreambooksco.com\/products\/the-racket-on-tour-with-tennis-s-golden-generation-and-the-other-99","provider":"Dream Books Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}