The Racket

While working for the Financial Times , investigative journalist Matt Kennard had unbridled access to the crème de la crème of the global elite. From slanging matches with Henry Kissinger to afternoon coffees with the man who captured Che Guevara, Kennard spent four years gathering extraordinarily honest testimony from the horse's mouth on how the global economic system works away from the convenient myths. It left him with only one conclusion: the world as we know it is run by an exclusive class of American racketeers who operate with virtually unlimited weapons and money, and a reach much too close to home. Owing to the very nature of the Financial Times , however, Kennard was not able to publish these findings as part of his day job. Enter The Racket , now in a fully updated second edition. This tell-all book, reported from all corners of the world, will transform everything you thought you knew about how the world works—and in whose interests. Kennard reports not only from across the United States, but from the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. In doing so he provides startlingly clear and concrete evidence of unchecked, high-level, interrelated systems of exploitation all over the world. At the same time, through encounters with high-profile opponents of the racket such as Thom Yorke, Damon Albarn, and Gael García Bernal, Kennard offers a glimpse of a developing resistance, which needs to win. Now more relevant than ever, this 2nd edition contains a new preface by the author and a new foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges.

While working for the Financial Times , investigative journalist Matt Kennard had unbridled access to the crème de la crème of the global elite. From slanging matches with Henry Kissinger to afternoon coffees with the man who captured Che Guevara, Kennard spent four years gathering extraordinarily honest testimony from the horse's mouth on how the global economic system works away from the convenient myths. It left him with only one conclusion: the world as we know it is run by an exclusive class of American racketeers who operate with virtually unlimited weapons and money, and a reach much too close to home. Owing to the very nature of the Financial Times , however, Kennard was not able to publish these findings as part of his day job. Enter The Racket , now in a fully updated second edition. This tell-all book, reported from all corners of the world, will transform everything you thought you knew about how the world works—and in whose interests. Kennard reports not only from across the United States, but from the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. In doing so he provides startlingly clear and concrete evidence of unchecked, high-level, interrelated systems of exploitation all over the world. At the same time, through encounters with high-profile opponents of the racket such as Thom Yorke, Damon Albarn, and Gael García Bernal, Kennard offers a glimpse of a developing resistance, which needs to win. Now more relevant than ever, this 2nd edition contains a new preface by the author and a new foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges.

THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD ' A s elegant and powerful as a Federer backhand ... It’s Kitchen Confidential for tennis.' Ed Caesar ‘Witty and insightful … an homage to the game he clearly still loves’ Irish Times ' A crushing reminder of the grist from which sporting greatness emerges' The Economist ---- When Conor Niland was 16, he was chosen 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. 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. 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. ---- 'Well worth a read if you want the inside track on life on the lower rungs of the tennis circuit. Warts and all.' Judy Murray 'Riveting … a no-holds-barred insight into what the vast majority of players go through to pursue their dreams. Niland is a funny and engaging writer whom it is impossible not to root for across the highs and lows of his career.’ The Observer 'Conor Niland may only have managed a career-high ranking of 129 – only ? that is some achievement in itself! – but The Racket, his account of how he managed this, is up there with the best half-dozen books on tennis ever written.' Geoff Dyer 'Blending a passion for his chosen sport with a realistic study of the traumas of the tour, The Racket offers a brilliant insight from Ireland’s greatest ever tennis player.’ John Boyne 'A brilliant, unvarnished look at a brutal sporting life.' Michael Foley, Sunday Times ‘One of the best Irish sports books of the last decade’ Kieran Shannon, Irish Examiner 'This will rightly join the list of The Best Irish Sports Books Ever Written. A superb insight into professional tennis from the ground up' Paul Howard 'Devoured it in a day ... I've read many tennis autobiographies: this is one of the very best' Charles Arthur 'A really wonderful read ... Conor Niland has delivered an all-timer for tennis and sports journalism' Ashlee Vance ‘Unsparing in his depiction of the drudgery of tennis’ Mike Jakeman, Spectator ‘Compelling’ Tennis365.com 'Brilliant book, I inhaled it' Jonathan Drennan, Sydney Morning Herald 'If it's not a contender for Sports Book of the Year, the world has gone mad.' Fionn Davenport, Off The Ball 'Sure to become a must read of the tennis literature canon' Paul Perry ' His funny, sometimes painful, memoir, is a brilliant insider's look at the brutally competitive world of tennis as well as a meditation on moments missed by inches.' Sunday Independent ‘A visceral, melancholy and often self-lacerating book … History is usually written by the winners, but this intelligent, unvarnished, emotionally draining memoir shows why an also-ran’s perspective can be just as valuable’ Andrew Lynch, The Business Post 'A brutally honest assessment of his career and the effort it took to take him to the margins of the world’s elite.' Tom Lyons, The Currency ‘One of the great sports memoirs. Funny, moving, informative - it’s got the lot.’ Tony Parsons 'I ate this book up ... reveals the sacrifices, commitment and decidedly unglamorous side of life on the tennis circuit' Sinéad Moriarty

THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD ' A s elegant and powerful as a Federer backhand ... It’s Kitchen Confidential for tennis.' Ed Caesar ‘Witty and insightful … an homage to the game he clearly still loves’ Irish Times ' A crushing reminder of the grist from which sporting greatness emerges' The Economist ---- When Conor Niland was 16, he was chosen 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. 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. 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. ---- 'Well worth a read if you want the inside track on life on the lower rungs of the tennis circuit. Warts and all.' Judy Murray 'Riveting … a no-holds-barred insight into what the vast majority of players go through to pursue their dreams. Niland is a funny and engaging writer whom it is impossible not to root for across the highs and lows of his career.’ The Observer 'Conor Niland may only have managed a career-high ranking of 129 – only ? that is some achievement in itself! – but The Racket, his account of how he managed this, is up there with the best half-dozen books on tennis ever written.' Geoff Dyer 'Blending a passion for his chosen sport with a realistic study of the traumas of the tour, The Racket offers a brilliant insight from Ireland’s greatest ever tennis player.’ John Boyne 'A brilliant, unvarnished look at a brutal sporting life.' Michael Foley, Sunday Times ‘One of the best Irish sports books of the last decade’ Kieran Shannon, Irish Examiner 'This will rightly join the list of The Best Irish Sports Books Ever Written. A superb insight into professional tennis from the ground up' Paul Howard 'Devoured it in a day ... I've read many tennis autobiographies: this is one of the very best' Charles Arthur 'A really wonderful read ... Conor Niland has delivered an all-timer for tennis and sports journalism' Ashlee Vance ‘Unsparing in his depiction of the drudgery of tennis’ Mike Jakeman, Spectator ‘Compelling’ Tennis365.com 'Brilliant book, I inhaled it' Jonathan Drennan, Sydney Morning Herald 'If it's not a contender for Sports Book of the Year, the world has gone mad.' Fionn Davenport, Off The Ball 'Sure to become a must read of the tennis literature canon' Paul Perry ' His funny, sometimes painful, memoir, is a brilliant insider's look at the brutally competitive world of tennis as well as a meditation on moments missed by inches.' Sunday Independent</

WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2024 THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER ' A s elegant and powerful as a Federer backhand ... It’s Kitchen Confidential for tennis.' Ed Caesar 'Well worth a read if you want the inside track on life on the lower rungs of the tennis circuit. Warts and all.' Judy Murray ---- When Conor Niland was 16, he was chosen 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. 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. 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. ---- 'Conor Niland may only have managed a career-high ranking of 129 – only ? that is some achievement in itself! – but The Racket, his account of how he managed this, is up there with the best half-dozen books on tennis ever written.' Geoff Dyer 'Blending a passion for his chosen sport with a realistic study of the traumas of the tour, The Racket offers a brilliant insight from Ireland’s greatest ever tennis player.’ John Boyne 'A brilliant, unvarnished look at a brutal sporting life.' Michael Foley, Sunday Times ‘One of the best Irish sports books of the last decade’ Kieran Shannon, Irish Examiner 'This will rightly join the list of The Best Irish Sports Books Ever Written. A superb insight into professional tennis from the ground up' Paul Howard 'I ate this book up ... reveals the sacrifices, commitment and decidedly unglamorous side of life on the tennis circuit' Sinéad Moriarty 'A really wonderful read ... Conor Niland has delivered an all-timer for tennis and sports journalism' Ashlee Vance ‘Genuinely such a brilliant book, a brilliant read’ Ciarán Murphy, Second Captains ‘Unsparing in his depiction of the drudgery of tennis’ Mike Jakeman, Spectator ‘Compelling’ Tennis365.com 'Brilliant book, I inhaled it' Jonathan Drennan, Sydney Morning Herald 'Devoured it in a day ... I've read many tennis autobiographies: this is one of the very best' Charles Arthur 'If it's not a contender for Sports Book of the Year, the world has gone mad.' Fionn Davenport, Off The Ball 'Sure to become a must read of the tennis literature canon' Paul Perry ‘Witty and insightful … an homage to the game he clearly still loves’ Anna Carey, Irish Times ‘Honest and droll’ Laura Slattery, Irish Times ' His funny, sometimes painful, memoir, is a brilliant insider's look at the brutally competitive world of tennis as well as a meditation on moments missed by inches.' Sunday Independent ' A crushing reminder of the grist from which sporting greatness emerges' The Economist ‘A visceral, melancholy and often self-lacerating book … History is usually written by the winners, but this intelligent, unvarnished, emotionally draining memoir shows why an also-ran’s perspective can be just as valuable’ Andrew Lynch, The Business Post 'A brutally honest assessment of his career and the effort it took to take him to the margins of the world’s elite.' Tom Lyons, The Currency ‘An excellent book’ Denis Hurley, Irish Farmers Journal ' A searingly honest account of the real world of tennis’ Irish Country Living

WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2024 THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER ' A s elegant and powerful as a Federer backhand ... It’s Kitchen Confidential for tennis.' Ed Caesar 'Well worth a read if you want the inside track on life on the lower rungs of the tennis circuit. Warts and all.' Judy Murray ---- When Conor Niland was 16, he was chosen 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. 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. 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. ---- 'Conor Niland may only have managed a career-high ranking of 129 – only ? that is some achievement in itself! – but The Racket, his account of how he managed this, is up there with the best half-dozen books on tennis ever written.' Geoff Dyer 'Blending a passion for his chosen sport with a realistic study of the traumas of the tour, The Racket offers a brilliant insight from Ireland’s greatest ever tennis player.’ John Boyne 'A brilliant, unvarnished look at a brutal sporting life.' Michael Foley, Sunday Times ‘One of the best Irish sports books of the last decade’ Kieran Shannon, Irish Examiner 'This will rightly join the list of The Best Irish Sports Books Ever Written. A superb insight into professional tennis from the ground up' Paul Howard 'I ate this book up ... reveals the sacrifices, commitment and decidedly unglamorous side of life on the tennis circuit' Sinéad Moriarty 'A really wonderful read ... Conor Niland has delivered an all-timer for tennis and sports journalism' Ashlee Vance ‘Genuinely such a brilliant book, a brilliant read’ Ciarán Murphy, Second Captains ‘Unsparing in his depiction of the drudgery of tennis’ Mike Jakeman, Spectator ‘Compelling’ Tennis365.com 'Brilliant book, I inhaled it' Jonathan Drennan, Sydney Morning Herald 'Devoured it in a day ... I've read many tennis autobiographies: this is one of the very best' Charles Arthur 'If it's not a contender for Sports Book of the Year, the world has gone mad.' Fionn Davenport, Off The Ball 'Sure to become a must read of the tennis literature canon' Paul Perry ‘Witty and insightful … an homage to the game he clearly still loves’ Anna Carey, Irish Times ‘Honest and droll’ Laura Slattery, Irish Times ' His funny, sometimes painful, memoir, is a brilliant insider's look at the brutally competitive world of tennis as well as a meditation on moments missed by inches.' Sunday Independent ' A crushing reminder of the