57 Conor Niland, ATP 129, Irish Davis Cup Hero

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. Conor 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. He wrote a book: The 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.
Source:https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/295788/conor-niland