Conor Niland vs Wimbledon champion

LAST evening (Tuesday) in New York, a tennis player with Corofin and Tuam connections went out to play the world No. 1 in the U.S. Open on the Arthur Ashe Court at Flushing Meadows. The great Novak Djokovic, who defeated Rafael Nadal to win the Wimbledon men's title in early July, was playing Ireland's Conor Niland who this year became the first Irish player to qualify for Wimbledon in 27 years. The 29-year-old Niland was born in Birmingham, England but his background on his father's side is West of Ireland: Conor's grandfather Michael Niland came from Ballinastack, Corofin where a cousin, Seán, lives, while other cousins include Francis and Elizabeth in Corofin and T.P. in Dublin Road, Tuam. Conor's father Ray, an ophthalmologist who moved across-Channel to Birmingham, grew up in Galway city; he played Gaelic football in his young days with Fr Griffin's and later was a county senior with Mayo, at left full-back, winning a National League medal in 1970. Conor Niland has played 25 Davis Cup games for Ireland.