The reports of Roger Federer’s incredible sulks have been pouring in at a steady rate ever since he was beaten at Wimbledon by Rafael Nadal, and while the Swiss desperately tries to remedy the season gone by with an Olympics to remember, a largely unknown name on the tennis tour recalls his triumph over the man in a seemingly different era.Ireland’s Conor Niland, a journeyman ranked 229th on the ITF circuit and currently playing in the $50,000 Challenger event in New Delhi, can boast a winning record against the soon-to-be-former world No 1 — so what if it was way back in 1994. Their paths have taken starkly divergent routes since then — Niland chose to pursue a masters in English literature at the University of Berkeley while harbouring the aim of being, at best, a top-50 player, while Federer often finds his name in the same sentence as the word ‘legend’.“It was an under-14 team event in France a long time ago. I don’t even think about it now, but yes, it does seem a bit funny these days when it comes up. False impression“He obviously wasn’t the player he is now, and in fact, it was like he wasn’t really interested in playing tennis at that time,” laughs Niland, admitting this was one first impression that was way off the mark.“We were just kids back then. He didn’t appear focussed at all, I wouldn’t call it a temper, but he did look like he had some concentration issues. He was missing easy shots and getting irritated with himself,” he adds, painting a completely different picture of the Swiss the world would witness years from those under-14 days. Niland hasn’t bumped into Federer since then — they belong to a completely different strata of tournaments now — and the only time their paths get a chance to cross is at the Grand Slams. Even then, though, the opportunity comes with a rider.“I usually lose in the qualifying at Grand Slams much before Federer even gets there. I don’t see him at all,” says Niland.
