Maria And The Beauty of Tennis

If there is something or some event that made Maria Sharapova a tennis player, it would be Chernobyl, a nuclear reactor that exploded and became a disaster in 1986, a year before she born in Nyagan, Russia - that might be the thing that changed her life. She wrote the words in this book.

But if there is someone who play an extraordinary role in Maria Sharapova’ successful career, I would say it’s her father.

Yuri Sharapov, her father, decided to leave his job in Russia to bring Maria to Florida, United States when Maria was six years old, with the only purpose to find the best tennis academy and coach for Maria. He risked everything to get Maria landed in Florida - the sacred land of tennis academies – with courage and determination that Maria could be a star.

Yuri and Maria arrived in America with only seven hundred dollars in pocket and knowing only a few words of English. This was crazy. But as the wise people say, strong determination will open the way. His braveness to achieve the goal overcame any risks. The story told that Yuri and Maria never be a homeless nor starving, even they could find the best tennis academy and the best coach for Maria despite very much pain and struggle.

But God seems always over His hand through good people, unknown people whom Yuri never met before. God watches over those who try hard.

Practice and practice and practice. This is the key for an athlete to success, and Maria proved it by beating two-time defending champion Serena Williams to win Wimbledon – the most prestigious tennis tournament - at seventeen years old in 2004.

And she won the next four Grand Slam afterward, i.e. the US Open in 2006, the Australian Open in 2008, the French Open in 2012, and the French Open again in 2014.

Maria is known having strong forehand, and when she moves and swings she shows the beauty of tennis in the tennis court. Her movement is fluid which forces every eye to keep glaring at her.

The book is a powerful memoir that she wrote with a whole heart, telling her life so far – from her childhood, her struggle, her success, her bitterness when she was accused of doping, and her feelings as she closed her story in this book: “I was thinking only about the finish line. How it would end, how I would make my exit. But I don’t think about that anymore. Now I think only about playing. As long as I can. As hard as I can. Until they take down the nets. Until they burn my rackets. Until they stop me. And I want to see them try.”

Tennis has been being her life and she will not let anything take it from her.

***
Serpong, 16 Jan 2022
Titus J.

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