Unstoppable: My Life So Far Hardcover – September 12, 2017

I love tennis, but I’ve never been a particular fan of Maria (or Masha, as I learned from the book) Sharapova. Despite this, I couldn’t put down ‘Unstoppable’. I was hooked from the first word to the last. This book is not your usual memoir of a top professional tennis player. Its raw honesty allows you to have a rare and unique glimpse into the world of professional tennis and what it takes to get into it.Let me start this review by praising Yuri Sharapov, Maria’s dad. This memoir superbly describes the struggle he had on his hands. If you’re a parent thinking about teaching your extremely talented and willing little one to play tennis with some high hopes for the future, this book is the ultimate must read for you. You can find out a lot about the true extent you have to be prepared to go in order to give your offspring a realistic chance to make it to the ranks of the pros.What Maria Sharapova’s father achieved is nothing short of unbelievably amazing. He demonstrated total commitment, dedication, and determination to help his daughter achieve his ultimate dream. Starting from living in poverty in an isolated city in the collapsing Soviet Union, he made his daughter the most celebrated young champion of Wimbledon in just 13 years.This book is not for you if you want to read tennis gossip. It’s edited to perfection and shows that the author is as focused on emphasizing the important things surrounding professional tennis as she usually is on the tennis court to win her next point. Her insights make this memoir ‘unputdownable’.Particularly interesting parts are her truly honest descriptions of her encounters with Serena Williams. I’ve been a great fan of Serena, and Maria’s account of why she thinks she has such a bad – 2 to19 up to date – record against her was really thought provoking for me. I might have even figured out what may help her to beat Serena in the future. However, my theory is beyond the extent of this review. Then there are some parts in this autobiography where I had to laugh out loud. One of it was the story of hiring and firing Jimmy Connor as a coach.If there is only one good thing which came out of Maria Sharapova’s unfair doping ban, then it’s the superb quality of this memoir. She managed to find the time to make it brilliant. On the downside the millions of tennis fans had to miss watching her play for 15 whole months which included the Rio Olympics.The simple fact that the medication she occasionally took for more than a decade was legal up to the beginning of 2016, and she had not a single warning from the authorities during the year of 2015, tells it all. I’m amazed that WADA doesn’t test urine samples for newly added banned substances during notice periods. A single warning from WADA in 2015 would have been enough for her to avoid this unnecessary 15 months ban.Recently even some of Maria’s WTA competitors are calling her a doper. I strongly recommend them to read at least the last few pages of this book which includes the findings of the CAS panel. The only thing these girls prove is that they’re scared of being no match for Sharapova on the court, so they have to try to ‘put her down’ outside the court.For Masha I have this message:Congratulations for reaching round 4 in the 2017 US Open after that long break and multiple injuries. Carry on, girl! Beat them all!

Want to get inspired? Read how a little girl in Russia has people tell her Dad she can be a top ranked player including being told by Martina Navratilova. A chance meeting with the Russian Jr. Team and a promise to meet her Dad and her at the Miami ends up as a "no show" in the middle of the night. Such begins the adventure of an 8 year old girl and her Father, neither of whom speak anything but Russian who now must navigate all of Florida to find the correct spot to develop this 8 year old aspiring pro. And this is the most AMAZING part of this book! How some people offered to help like letting them sleep in their hotel room when not necessary to be bothered. How desire overcame money to put her in a position to be Maria (not her real name) Sharapova. This covers the first half of the book and it is just inspiring. Yes, tennis parents are the worst but her Father managed her game, assisted her including hitting every morning at 6:00 and then worked menial jobs to somehow support this goal. He more than earned my respect and clearly Maria feels the same. Not to mention all the roadblocks thrown in their way by unscrupulous pros and even being kicked out of the Bolleteri School.But she preservered while her Mother worked in Russia to try and join. Her quotes about knowing she could beat all the rich kids who wouldn't work as hard as her should be a lesson to soft people in America.The press makes much of her comments on Serena Williams but I find them not objectionable at all. They are both competitive and that is all she was trying to relay. It is also noted that she has not many great friends on the tour. OK with her.Maria is a beautiful women. But she is a tennis player first. Just watch her determination on the court. And read this book to discover where it started. If I had one wish, I wish she would have described why some parts of her game did not develop more. Like her volleys. She has so many points won and backs up to the baseline. Oh well. What do I know. I've never been No. 1 in the world.

Takes you to a world of professional sports and what children have to give up to play! Gave 4 stars only because there is some subjective drama here and there but overall a great read! I cannot imagine the stress and pressure besides the innate drive children who are destined to becoming a professional sports figure must go through - especially in a foreign land where resources and funds are extremely limited vs USA. Without mentioning specific figures, this book well explains why Djokovic and others are super-players.

This story has it all: it’s unbelievable, touching, dramatic, it makes you smile, brings you to tears, puts you in disbelief. It’s alive, well told and candid. It’s inspiring. And not for tennis fans only. For everyone. Because it’s about overcoming, about dedicating yourself to big goals and achieving, about an unshakable spirit. Everyone will find something important in it. And for young athletes and their parents this book is a real gift. Thank you, Maria! What a beautiful and smart way to use the unfortunate forced break in sport career and share your story with the world, turning a dreadful situation, its negative energy to your favor. The best possible answer! It was probably the toughest “Grand Slam” you’ve ever played and you HAVE beaten them all, because sincerity is disarming. As the old Russian saying goes, “God is not in force, but in truth.” Just another time you have proven what a great spirit you have, what an amazing fighter you are - a true champion! “Do not judge me by successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again”, these are the words by Nelson Mandela rightly chosen as an epigraph.By sharing your story you have gained so much strength, confidence, wisdom, so much appreciation and so many more fans and followers.So go, Maria, go!

I was a constant admirer of Miss Sharapova on the tennis courts. And on the five CDs I discovered an extremely lovely voice that makes me to listen from time to time even now.

As a Maria Sharapova fan I really loved this book. Even if you are not a Maria’s fan it’s a enjoyable book.

a voice you want to have in your head riding life’s waves especially when the ride gets harder! Thank you, Maria!

Really engaging, open and honest account of her life and her biggest challenges. I could not put it down. 100% recommended, even more so for Sharapova fans. This is written as if she was telling you whilst having a chat as friends and it was brilliant.

This book is very good, I got to learn a lot from this book and this is a very good book, I insist for you guys, you guys will also get to learn a lot from this.

Surprisingly compelling, surprisingly funny and surprisingly good. I thought I knew her story but there is so much more to know if you are a tennis or Sharapova fan. Told in such an appealing way--I found this book to be entertaining from beginning to end.