Calling the Shots: My Autobiography

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I loved the honesty, the humour and the insight into the tennis life, the presenter life and the private life. If you are a tennis fan, and a Sue Barker fan, the lady herself reading her autobiography is an enjoyable listen. Going all in for her once-only autobiography, Sue takes us inside the showbizzy world of 70s and early 80s tennis. Now on the WAT tour (Women's Tennis Association) and with some great wins behind her, Sue is back in France playing at Roland Garros, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments most revered in the world.

How you see Sue on the television is the real Sue, and admire so much when she says "You see enough of me on television, you won't see me showing my house off in the Hello Magazine. She reveals the battles she fought for hard-won success in two careers and gives us a ringside seat on the nation's biggest sporting dramas, and a fascinating insider's understanding of competitors under pressure.I’d imagine she would be fun in the bar with her stories and she definitely would have an opinion on most players and their game. Sue Barker never managed to get to the dizzy heights of the before mentioned superstars but she was very competitive, won a grand slam and then went on to have a career in the media. Of course I love a tennis biography but was delighted to hear that Sue Barker was releasing one so soon after retiring from Wimbledon coverage. She reveals the battles she fought for hard-won success in two careers, gives us a ringside seat on the nation's biggest sporting dramas, and a fascinating insider's understanding of competitors under pressure.

This is a remarkable life story of a tennis champion, an award-winning broadcaster, and I enjoyed every minute listening to her incredible life story. And now, after four decades on camera encouraging other legends to share their stories, she is telling her own. I liked sue barker it was interesting to hear how hard she worked to become world number 3 and win the French open a lot of effort and dedication well 👏 done. She is clearly immensely proud of her broadcast career and it struck me that it would seem more than her tennis career, but not really surprising given the span of her broadcasting.She reveals the battles she fought for hard-won success in two careers and gives us a ringside seat on the nation's biggest sporting dramas, and a fascinating insider's understanding of competitors under pressure, such a shame injuries plagued her last few years. I have been watching tennis since 1970 but I am embarrassed to say that I do not ever remember watching Sue play. But I was intrigued to read about her being drawn into sports commentary and anchoring at great sporting events beyond tennis. I would like to thank both Netgalley and Penguin Random House for supplying a copy of this biography in exchange for an honest review.

I am not a big tennis fan and haven’t watched “Question of Sport” for decades but I really enjoyed Sue Barker’s biography.To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

Her book has an appealing cover, an apt title, two sections of photos; always a plus for me, and an index. I hadn't realised just what a good player she was and how many Tournaments she won; also her Broadcasting career was second to none covering all the major sporting events and some non-sporting, in a career lasting thirty years. Currently underway, the FIFA Women’s World Cup not only showcases some of the best footballing talent in the world, but also some of the best stories about overcoming hurdles and hardship to succeed. This is an interesting read of one of this countries favourite personalities that I enjoyed a lot more than I expected to. I loved the stories of her time on the circuit which seems magical now and made me nostalgic for those heady days when you knew all the players especially in the women’s game!I’m sorry this comes over as a negative review, because on the whole it’s interesting to read of her gumption and professionalism in her sporting and television careers. Actually I have to get that comment right, Sue's two careers, a tennis career, and a television career. For anyone who is a fan of tennis star Sue or just loved her on a question of sport this is the book for you. Plus as a older teenager I played and coached at The Imperial Hotel in Torquay, and I did play at The Palace Hotel in Paignton.