Serena Williams' dad said five words and I was instantly terrified before I started practicing with her at 16

Serena Williams always had a presence and she leaves a lasting impression on most people she meets.

Former tennis professional Conor Niland got the chance to practice with the future 23-time Grand Slam champion when they were both 16.

Niland opened up about his meeting with the Williams sisters in his bookCredit: Getty

Niland, who reached a peak of 129 in the world, details his brush with the iconic names of his career, as well as some of the brutal realities of being a professional outside the top 100, in his new book. The racket.

It is one of six books nominated for the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2024.

talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham spoke to Niland in a wide-ranging interview in which they discussed parts of the book and his meeting with the Williams sisters was discussed.

Read more about Serena Williams

Niland and his friend Steven Nugent attended the famous Nick Bollettieri academy at the age of 16.

“We were sent there for two weeks by this anonymous Irish-American donor. We arrived at the airport with no one there to pick us up and we simply gave this taxi driver an address and told him to go to court 72 the next morning at 7am.

“There were about fifty other kids on the field and one coach. It didn’t seem that impressive. We all stood in line one by one. It’s a session you do when you’re six years old, you do a forehand and a backhand and then go to the back of the line.

“I hit the biggest forehand I could down the line and the coach sent me and Nuge to Percy on court one. He led the selections for the best under-18s in the academy.

“We spent a few days there and then Serena and Venus came out Wimbledon and they invited us to come perform with the Williams sisters over the course of three or four days.

“It was great! It is clear that all sessions were carried out entirely for them, no one asked me if I wanted to work on my broader service.

“It was incredible. She was 25 in the world at the time and Venus was five, they were 16 and 17. They had already made it.

The Williams sisters were already global superstars as teenagersCredit: Getty

“Richard Williams was walking around and shuffled over to me for one of the sessions. He knew I hadn’t spoken to Serena yet and says to me, “Today it’s your turn, boy.”

“I was like, ‘oh god, I’m a little scared right now.’

“We knew that once you get a chance to play with these girls and do well, you might get asked back.

Tennis legend Venus Williams explains how teenage Serena Williams gave her the edge Tiger Woods never had

“I overheard a conversation between Serena and her coach about who she wanted to practice with tomorrow, the blond-haired boy or the brown-haired one. Nuge had dyed his hair blonde that year.

“When she said the brown-haired boy, I knew I got the nod.”

Something Niland touches on in the book is a possible “what if” moment for him as he was asked to return to the academy.

Richard Williams famously coached his two daughters and they both became iconsCredit: AFP

“We’ve worked with some of the people at the top of the game,” he continued. “They asked us if we were interested in coming back to the academy full-time. For some reason we didn’t do that.

“I went back home and went back to boarding school in England. I almost wrote in the book, ‘Why didn’t I stay?’”

Listen to the full conversation with talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham on our YouTube channel.