Latest news with #ConorNiland
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
‘I made €247,000 in tennis... so not a lot': Conor Niland on the true cost of competitive sport
It's the number that stops Conor Niland in his tracks, the same number that represents his career high rank in the incredibly competitive – and potentially extremely lucrative – world of tennis. Today, Niland (43) works in commercial property, in addition to recently becoming a celebrated author – his memoir The Racket won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award in 2024. 'I started in commercial property at 31, 32… All that stuff was new to me. Everything about the working world – even the office printer and scanner – was new to me,' he tells Katie Byrne on the latest episode of the Money Talks podcast. 'I didn't know any of that stuff. I'd never had to do it. Writing emails to clients, calls in an open-plan office… You know, with your boss not listening in but obviously sitting beside you and can't not listen.' Niland also gives listeners an insight into prize money and the highest-paid players in tennis. 'We have billionaires in our sport,' he says. 'The likes of Roger Federer and Serena Williams, who are able to earn incredible money after they finish their [careers]. True sporting icons, not just tennis icons. 'But then, obviously, you have this big pyramid or bottleneck in tennis where you've got the very, very tip who are earning an awful lot of money and then it goes quite quickly to a very wide base of players who are really struggling to make ends meet and make money week to week.' During his career, Niland earned approximately €247,000 over the course of seven or eight years. 'Not a lot of money', he notes, while speaking candidly about his decision to call time on his playing career at a young age. 'I definitely reconciled with myself at a certain period of my career that I was unlikely to be coming out of this with a pension and a nest egg and an awful lot of money. 'When I was hitting 27, 28 years of age my goal became 'I want to play in the Grand Slams' so I can give myself context and achieve a dream. 'And I was getting to a point where my career was washing its own face – at #150 in the world, #200 in the world, I was sort of making, give or take, what I was spending, with a little bit of help from various quarters. That made it a lot easier – but then, it's no coincidence that I stopped playing at 30 years of age.' You can listen to stories from Niland's days on the court as well as how he successfully transitioned away from the sport and into a more traditional nine-to-five role on the latest episode of Money Talks or wherever you get your podcasts.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Conor Niland: ‘In tennis, you can be talking €100,000+ in yearly expenses'
It's the number that stops Conor Niland in his tracks, the same number that represents his career high rank in the incredibly competitive – and potentially extremely lucrative – world of tennis. Today, Niland (43) works in commercial property, in addition to recently becoming a celebrated author – his memoir The Racket won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award in 2024. 'I started in commercial property at 31, 32… All that stuff was new to me. Everything about the working world – even the office printer and scanner – was new to me,' he tells Katie Byrne on the latest episode of the Money Talks podcast. 'I didn't know any of that stuff. I'd never had to do it. Writing emails to clients, calls in an open-plan office… You know, with your boss not listening in but obviously sitting beside you and can't not listen.' Niland also gives listeners an insight into prize money and the highest-paid players in tennis. 'We have billionaires in our sport,' he says. 'The likes of Roger Federer and Serena Williams, who are able to earn incredible money after they finish their [careers]. True sporting icons, not just tennis icons. 'But then, obviously, you have this big pyramid or bottleneck in tennis where you've got the very, very tip who are earning an awful lot of money and then it goes quite quickly to a very wide base of players who are really struggling to make ends meet and make money week to week.' During his career, Niland earned approximately €247,000 over the course of seven or eight years. 'Not a lot of money', he notes, while speaking candidly about his decision to call time on his playing career at a young age. 'I definitely reconciled with myself at a certain period of my career that I was unlikely to be coming out of this with a pension and a nest egg and an awful lot of money. 'When I was hitting 27, 28 years of age my goal became 'I want to play in the Grand Slams' so I can give myself context and achieve a dream. 'And I was getting to a point where my career was washing its own face – at #150 in the world, #200 in the world, I was sort of making, give or take, what I was spending, with a little bit of help from various quarters. That made it a lot easier – but then, it's no coincidence that I stopped playing at 30 years of age.' You can listen to stories from Niland's days on the court as well as how he successfully transitioned away from the sport and into a more traditional nine-to-five role on the latest episode of Money Talks or wherever you get your podcasts.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Money Talks: ‘Everything about the working world – even the printer – was new to me': Tennis pro Conor Niland on his transition to an office 9-5
It's the number that stops Conor Niland in his tracks, the same number that represents his career high rank in the incredibly competitive – and potentially extremely lucrative – world of tennis. Today, Niland (43) works in commercial property, in addition to recently becoming a celebrated author – his memoir The Racket won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award in 2024. 'I started in commercial property at 31, 32… All that stuff was new to me. Everything about the working world – even the office printer and scanner – was new to me,' he tells Katie Byrne on the latest episode of the Money Talks podcast. 'I didn't know any of that stuff. I'd never had to do it. Writing emails to clients, calls in an open-plan office… You know, with your boss not listening in but obviously sitting beside you and can't not listen.' Niland also gives listeners an insight into prize money and the highest-paid players in tennis. 'We have billionaires in our sport,' he says. 'The likes of Roger Federer and Serena Williams, who are able to earn incredible money after they finish their [careers]. True sporting icons, not just tennis icons. 'But then, obviously, you have this big pyramid or bottleneck in tennis where you've got the very, very tip who are earning an awful lot of money and then it goes quite quickly to a very wide base of players who are really struggling to make ends meet and make money week to week.' During his career, Niland earned approximately €247,000 over the course of seven or eight years. 'Not a lot of money', he notes, while speaking candidly about his decision to call time on his playing career at a young age. 'I definitely reconciled with myself at a certain period of my career that I was unlikely to be coming out of this with a pension and a nest egg and an awful lot of money. 'When I was hitting 27, 28 years of age my goal became 'I want to play in the Grand Slams' so I can give myself context and achieve a dream. 'And I was getting to a point where my career was washing its own face – at #150 in the world, #200 in the world, I was sort of making, give or take, what I was spending, with a little bit of help from various quarters. That made it a lot easier – but then, it's no coincidence that I stopped playing at 30 years of age.' You can listen to stories from Niland's days on the court as well as how he successfully transitioned away from the sport and into a more traditional nine-to-five role on the latest episode of Money Talks or wherever you get your podcasts.
Irish Times
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Gerry Thornley: Mighty Melbourne, where the coffee is strong and the wifi is weak
Sunday Another Sunday, another check-out, another plane journey (finish Conor Niland's absorbing read The Racket) and another check-in. For the Meriton Suites, Brisbane, read the Meriton Suites, Melbourne where, once again, the Sky crew are also staying. It's not an hotel per se, but the mini apartments are spacious and thus more homely. And if it's good enough for Rog, Miles Harrison et al, it's good enough for us. Melbourne is one of those vast cities that the more you know of it, and where to go, the better the experience, and it's probably the culinary capital of Australia. Okay, not gonna lie, it's going to be another good week on tour. Monday The Lions are based in Xavier College, another magnificent, sprawling school that the squad have used for training. Located in the eastern suburbs of the city, they have converted their main AFL pitch for the Lions. It can be viewed from the main elevated buildings with the Melbourne skyline as a spectacular backdrop. READ MORE The media are led to the Eldon Hogan Performing Arts Centre, built thanks to a $4 million donation by the eponymous Old Xaverian and opened on the campus in 2008. it contains 11 science laboratories, a music rehearsal room and a 500-seat auditorium, which is where the briefings will be conducted. Some journalists, including Harrison, take in the First Nations and Pasifika XV training session where, astonishingly in this day and age, they are not restricted to just 10 minutes of 'vision access' but are invited to stay for the entire session before interviewing players. Garry Ringrose in action during the Lions' tour game against First Nations and Pasifika XV at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho Tuesday Match night, as the British & Irish Lions beat the First Nations & Pasifika XV 24-19. The laptop, complete with spare keyboard, starts assuming a troubling life of its own, requiring constant rebooting, but eventually works, to a degree. Garry Ringrose is palpably buzzing in the mixed zone after his return for an unscheduled hour off the bench due to Darcy Graham's cruel misfortune. It's hard not to be happy for him and he's also hopeful that he'll make the team for the second Test, perhaps reunited with Bundee Aki . Wednesday Melbourne is also the sporting capital of Australia, and arguably the world. Vivien Lee of Visit Victoria and Melbourne Cricket Club treat the 30-odd Irish and UK media to a boat trip to the MCG for a magnificent lunch in the Long Room, with its panoramic view of the pitch from leather upholstered couches, and a tour of the iconic stadium. This includes a panoramic view of the nearby Rod Laver Arena, the main stadium used for the Australian Open, the AAMI Stadium, where Ireland played the Wallabies seven years ago, and the indoor Sports and Entertainment Centre and the Olympic Park Oval, while the Melbourne Grand Prix circuit in Albert Park is not far away either. As its striped members jacket and the Long Room implies, the MCG is akin to Lord's, but only bigger and brasher. It is the biggest stadium in the southern hemisphere and the 11th biggest in the world. The Collingwood Magpies take on the Fremantle Dockers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photograph: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images Aussie Rules is the dominant sport in Melbourne and as well as being the home to cricket matches such as the Boxing Day Test, the MCG is also home to six of the eight AFL teams in the city – namely Melbourne Football Club, Richmond, Essendon, Collingwood, Hawthorn and Collingwood. Like the Premier League in England, everybody in Melbourne has an AFL team, even the dogs in the street. The away dressingroom is embroidered with all the overseas players who have hit centuries or taken five-wicket hauls at the ground. Of all the pictures and statues, our guide tells us that the most photographed one is that of the great Don Bradman and the great Sunil Gavaskar, the two most iconic figures in the history of Australian and Indian cricket. This is in part due to the amount of Indian people who take in a tour of the stadium, but it always amuses that so many pose directly in front of the framed and famous meeting between the pair, thereby obscuring the two legends! The biggest stand is named in honour of Shane Warne and former Australian cricketer Damien Fleming regales us with tales of Warne's hat-trick against England in 1994, the first hat-trick in an Ashes Test for 91 years. On completion, Phil Tufnell, the spin bowler who was a true number 11 batsman, passed Fleming and said to him: 'This will be fun.' Tufnell is soon bowled after a wild heave misses the ball, so sealing Australia's victory, and as they celebrate, Tuffers walks past Fleming again, and said: 'I told you it would be fun.' The Lions bring forward their Thursday team announcement to lunchtime, meaning it clashes with the Wallabies and so, despite a vast amount of journalists travelling at great cost from the other side of the world, it's not possible to do both. At which point a journalist, who obviously watches too much rugby and little else, piped up: 'What's a six?' Thursday Rumours circulate among the travelling media that the Lions' starting XV is to be named at lunchtime in their training base at Xavier College. Alas, Andy Farrell reveals that they had been forced into a late change after Ringrose, for a second time on this tour, selflessly self-diagnoses his concussion symptoms following the Lions' training session in Xavier College. Founded by the Jesuits in 1872, it seems entirely apt that the Order's famous maxim is for the Jesuits to be 'a man for others'. Pretty much the only way in which modern day Lions players get out and about is going for coffees, and when it comes to good coffee shops, there's probably nowhere better on the planet than Australia. Four of the world's top eight cafes are in Australia. Melbourne is full of nooks and crannies and laneways with hidden gems, be they cafes or bars. The invasion from home is heightening again as another Test weekend nears and my jetlagged mate Nick Hogan arrives from Dublin and takes us to a nearby cafe called Patricia Coffee Brewers on Little Burke Street. It's a small dark grey building with no obvious signs outside save for the name Patricia on the open glass door. Outdoor seating comes in the form of crates. Nick's mate is the 3fe founder Colin Harmon, who rates Patricia Coffee Brewers as his favourite in the world. Yep, the coffee is delicious and it must be good, as Tommy Bowe turns up, too, on the recommendation of a friend in one of the AFL backroom teams. Tommy also joins us at our restaurant, along with Rog, Harrison, the voice of Lions tours and a lovely man. Tommy has also brought Simon Shaw and Alun Wyn Jones from the AFL game. 'We are honoured to be in the presence of greatness,' says Rog, and he's not kidding. Alun Wyn Jones is a four-time Lion who played in a phenomenal 12 Tests. Friday The baffling negativity of many at home is certainly not matched by the Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh fans who are travelling around Australia in support of the Lions as the sense of anticipation steadily builds towards Saturday's second Test. Maybe you have to be here. Passing through the hallway of the Meriton Suites, I meet three different Irish supporters who have arrived in Melbourne for the second Test, including one family who have travelled over to tour the country and take in the Lions matches with their Australian-based daughter. There are loads of stories like this. The concierge recommends two more nearby cafes that serve good coffee, breakfast and might have wifi. Alas, though the look and smell the part, there is no wifi. This is a constantly difficult search on this tour and nearing the end of it, a hotel base, even a spacious one like the Meriton Suites, working in one's room becomes less appealing. Aussies are friendlier than ever, by and large, on this tour but cafes evidently don't want customers lingering over laptops, even if they are having breakfast and/or lunch. Finally, Square One Rialto ticks all the boxes, even with a power point, as the public wifi works here, for the most part. The music is good too; upbeat and funky. Finbarr Concaig, whose dad moved from Belfast to Australia when he was young, describes The Jungle Giants as a typically Aussie band for barbecues. He's happy today. 'His' Hawthorn beat Carlton the night before in the MCG. As someone who has often visited Ireland and worked in England, he asks the age-old question, the kernel of the Lions really. 'How did you get Irish and English players to play on the same team? How did you pull that off?' he asks, genuinely mystified. It transpires that this has been a daily haunt for some Lions players in the less conspicuous upper floor of Square One.
Irish Times
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Where are the Irish international tennis stars? Not even ChatGPT can fully answer that one
Heading into the last weekend of this year's Wimbledon, with both the men's and women's finals taking place, I asked ChatGPT why there were no Irish tennis players in the draw − men, women or juniors. The answer was comprehensive and covered the same bases that a human being would have done if asked the same question − one that is posed every year when the biggest tennis event arrives in London with no Irish involvement. There are a number of reasons for this, said the AI. 'Player development and resources: Irish tennis players often don't have the same level of infrastructure, coaching or financial backing that players from other countries like Spain, France or the US do. Tennis is an expensive sport, and while Ireland does have talent, the resources to support players from a young age in terms of coaching, competition and travel can be limited. READ MORE 'Ranking and qualification: To compete at Wimbledon, players need to have a high-enough ATP or WTA ranking or successfully qualify through the grass-court season. While there have been talented Irish players in the past (like Conor Niland and James McGee), they may not have consistently maintained a ranking that would earn them direct entry into the tournament or through the qualifying rounds. 'Interest in other sports: Ireland has a rich sporting culture, but tennis doesn't dominate in the way that Gaelic football, hurling or rugby do. As a result, fewer young athletes might gravitate toward tennis, which means less competition at the elite levels, and fewer players emerging to represent Ireland internationally.' It read like an answer that could be cut and pasted for many smaller countries, substituting soccer for GAA, yet a look through this year's Wimbledon draw turns up senior and junior players from Luxembourg, Latvia and Armenia, which have much smaller populations than Ireland. The 21st and 65th world-ranked women players are Jelena Ostapenko and Anastasija Sevastova, who are from Latvia – population 1.877 million. They both competed in this year's women's singles event. Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko during her match against Britain's Sonay Kartal at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on June 30th. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA Wire Elina Avanesyan is Armenian (population 2.991 million), and she lost in the first round of the singles 6-2, 6-1 to the world number 11 Elena Rybakina. Damir Dzumhur from Bosnia-Herzegovina (population 3.185 million), is ranked 69 in the world and automatically qualified for the men's singles draw on ranking. There are 128 starters in the men's and women's singles draw in each of the four Grand Slam events. Chris Rodesch is from Luxembourg (population 666,430) and is ranked 172 in the world. He came through the pre-Wimbledon qualifying event to take a place in the men's main draw. Maybe the systems and infrastructure in Ireland aren't there to allow players punch through, but other countries seem to get around the obstacles. Perhaps the biggest of those is cost. The cost of being on tour and doing all the right things to give a player the best chance of success is not insignificant. It is the factor that most starting out on the professional tour complain is a stumbling block. Ireland's James McGee plays Australia's Alun Jones in the Shelbourne Irish Open at the Fitzwilliam Tennis Club, Dublin on July 3rd, 2007. Photograph: Alan Betson Last year the Tennis Gazette spoke to three French professional players to break down some of the day-to-day and week-to-week outlays. The cost of stringing racquets alone was near €10,000 a year. 'Generally speaking, it's about 15 racquets per week, at €20 per stringing,' said former top 50 player Constant Lestienne. 'Fifteen times 20 is €300, €300 over 30 weeks adds up to roughly €9,000.' Terence Atmane came up with about the same figure for stringing racquets but also totted up the cost of hotels, travel, coaching and food. 'I did my accounting, I have my coach who travels with me every week, for the major tournaments. I added physical trainers, plus the training weeks where I covered the costs. 'On top of that, there were two or three tournaments in the Masters 1000 where I went far and the hotel room was expensive, which added up to €7,000-€8,000 in hotel costs. 'I did the math for the year and I spent €200,000 on my staff.' [ James McGee through to second round of Wimbledon qualifying Opens in new window ] Atmane was one of the lucky ones. He earned €392,000 in prize money, so came out on the right side of the ledger. For the top players it's a different world. This year's men's and women's singles winners will get €3.48 million from the €62 million Wimbledon prize fund. In prize money alone the 22-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz has already accumulated €38.6 million. The retired Roger Federer, now a billionaire, won €111 million during his career. All mouthwatering numbers but the launch pad into that world, even with talent, is not easy, with complaints that the prize money doesn't filter down. Still, other sports in Ireland have had success in pushing athletes into elite levels across the spectrum. From a non-traditional sport such as Taekwondo, where Jack Woolley excels, to the likes of cricket, athletics, golf, swimming, gymnastics, rugby and cycling, Ireland has produced world-class athletes. Ben Healy winning a stage in the Tour de France on Thursday is a recent case in point. Irish sport has usually found a way. But not in tennis. It's been 14 years since Conor Niland played the first round of Wimbledon, 11 years since James McGee played in the US Open. It's a pity. But now that ChatGPT has given the definitive answer, maybe Irish tennis can set about doing something before another decade of no participation at Wimbledon slips by again.
