9 October 2026
By Bryan McCarthy
bryan@TheCork.ie
Former Irish international tennis player, Conor Niland, offered rare insights into high-performance sports psychology and the harsh realities of the professional circuit at an exclusive event hosted by Sunday’s Well Tennis Club in Cork and sponsored by Arachas.
Conor’s advice to junior players with professional ambitions was to start young and by the age of 16, they should expect to train every day – up to at least 4 hours. That level of training is demanding anywhere – but even harder during the dark, cold Irish winters, Conor admitted with a smile.
The former player, from Mungret, Co Limerick, told young players to aim high – noting that even middle ranking players are giving the same level of dedication, training and sacrifice as those nearer the top, but without the same rewards.
Seán Buggy, Associate Director, Arachas Employee Benefits; Michelle Russell of Arachas Private Clients; Gearóid Fitzgerald, Managing Director, Munster; Amy Power, Managing Director Business Performance; Conor Niland, former Irish professional tennis player and guest of honour; Una Bennett, Head of Partnerships & Communications at Arachas, and Jacob Baldwin, Managing Director, Arachas Employee Benefits, pictured at An Evening with Conor Niland, which saw the former Irish international tennis player share stories from his career with former international umpire and Associate Director of Arachas Employee Benefits, Sean Buggy, at Sunday’s Well Tennis Club, during the event, which was hosted by club sponsors Arachas for members. Picture: Michael O’Sullivan / OSM PHOTO
“You have to understand what a professional career will require – you have to love it, you have to want to be there,” he said.
On a lighter note, Conor also advised young players to be careful about what they eat before an important match. He learned this himself after suffering food poisoning before facing world number one Novak Djokovic at the 2011 US Open – which ultimately forced him to retire during the match.
Sponsored by nationwide insurance broker Arachas, Ireland’s largest insurance brokers, the fireside conversation gathered club members, clients, and industry partners to examine athletic resilience, the psychological toll of elite competition, and life after professional sports.
Moderated by Sean Buggy, international tennis umpire and representative of Arachas Financial Planning, the conversation explored the mental landscape of elite athletes when winning and facing defeat. Niland shared key psychological techniques, such as visualisation and strategic internal dialogue that proved essential before and during high-stakes matches throughout his career.
Niland – who began his career at the Limerick Lawn Tennis Club – revisited his high-profile first-round match against France’s Adrian Mannarino at Wimbledon in 2011, where he served for a 5-1 lead in the final set, a victory that would have seen him face Roger Federer in a second-round appearance on Centre Court.
Reflecting on the intense psychological pressure of that moment, Niland offered illuminating insights into how he processed it – and how his approach to pressure evolved over time.
He also spoke about what it was like to go pro, to experience major tournaments – and his retirement as well as the publication of his award-winning book, The Racket.
The event concluded with an interactive Q&A session, followed by a networking reception hosted at the clubhouse in Cork.