Open: An Autobiography

Tennis fans generally and Agassi fans in particular will not be disappointed by this book. But anyone interested in professional sport at all - in particular, what it takes to be the best - should read this book. It's the most incredible piece of writing. From the first sentence, you are inside Agassi's head; feeling the torture and the pain of what it physically and mentally takes to be at the top. He strips away the pomposity of tennis and shows these players are almost gladiators who rip and tear at themselves to destruction, both physically and mentally pouring everything into a moment of winning. Yet as soon as that moment is achieved it's gone and you move on to doing it all over again. From a personal level, I've always had a fascination with why us Brits 'fold' under pressure; why we never quite make it, why we're never quite good enough across many sports. The answers for what's required to be one of the best are here and - incredibly for a 'celebrity book' - you can feel the energy on every page and right from page 1; it's exhausting even to read. It's not a fluffy celebrity life-story. This is why people across all sports who want to be the best should read this book. I'm not a huge fan of tennis but it's a sport with similar mental/physical requirements as a sport I play so the psychology-of-champions interests me. I once saw Agassi play Tim Henman at Wimbledon and Agassi fascinated me; although normally in love with Agassi the crowd were all over the 'home boy' even dropping into showing some 'uncontrolled enthusiasm' at Agassi unforced errors just in desperation of wanting Henman to 'do it'. As Henman did what all us-Brits seem to do - expand mentally outwards linking with the crowd and trying to run on their energy - Agassi went inwards; his eyes fascinated me. They never left Henman and his focus was unbelievable to levels you could physically feel the power of it - he didn't need anything from the crowd, he was a lone man against the world and was very comfortable there. The more the crowd bayed for Henman and the more he punched the air, the stronger and calmer Agassi became. You could see in his eyes there was no-one in the place except Henman, and he was going to take him down. I knew from looking at him Henman would never win - mentally they were worlds apart. Henman's energy was channelled wide into the crowd and he needed their energy to keep going; it's power was diluted. Agassi's energy was channelled inwards to a single point until it became laser-like and could cut through anything - and it's target was Henman. After Agassi won, he later described exactly what I'd seen when asked how he'd managed to overcome Henman's determination and the overwhelming energy of the crowd - he focussed his energy until there was no-one else there except Henman. I couldn't even tell you the score of the match but Agassi's focus and energy have stayed with me as a 'moment in time' memory ever since. The book opens up and explains what I saw - what was actually mentally and physically behind that moment; it explains it's that mental place champions are constantly chasing, trying to find, then trying to sustain and the physical effort required to fuel this mental state. Agassi conveys onto paper the mental torture, demons and physical strength required to do this. He shows it's not something top players 'have', it's something they find then lose, find again and constantly struggle to hold on to. Probably far better than any other book his descriptions of the torment and pressures indirectly gave me food for thought as to mysteries which shroud other players - for example Borg's sudden retirement. After reading this, I'll never look at two players calmly and politely leaving court after a match the same way again - I'll be wondering if as soon as they are out of the public gaze are they surrounded by teams of people physically and mentally rushing to put them back together. To me, this book has the keys to why us Brits are never quite good enough. An amazing piece of writing, Mr Agassi :o

I honestly never knew much about Andre Agassi before this book. What an interesting and exciting read though. I've watched tennis a few times in the past but this book had me searching for those matches he describes, in such intimate detail, on YouTube. To know what he was going through leading up to and during those career defining moments gave a whole new perspective on things. Tennis is a whole lot more than just a couple of athletes hitting a ball back and forth. This is a must read if you love sports, or even just want to learn a bit about the man who wrote it.

Insight into another world. As a fan you can never know the thoughts, worries or tribulations the players you root for are going through. Interesting to find out.

Amazing story. Had to laugh out loud frequently.

I absolutely love this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves good writing - whether you're a tennis buff, an Agassi fan, both, or neither! It's about a man, it's about tennis (excellent, exciting accounts of the landmark games in Agassi's career), but more than those, it's about life. JR Moehringer does a stellar job of structuring the beguiling, impressively detailed stream of Andre's thoughts and making them enormously readable - and relatable. There are life lessons in this book, and not in a corny, didactic way, but in an honest, sincere and yes, 'open' way. Andre talks baldly about his childhood, his loves, his mistakes, his insecurities, his marriages, the important influences in his life... and so much more. By the time the book is done, you feel like you've witnessed, through Andre, a story that's larger-than-life, yet also a story that everyone can relate to. Again, I loved this book - it was one of the best books I read in 2010, and I know that I will return to it again and again.

As a tennis fan I enjoyed reading about one of the tennis greats and discovering the struggles he went through. Well written and easy to read. Chapters were slightly too long though, with regards to it being a quick read.

I loved Andre Agassi - his looks, his apparent shyness, his cracking tennis playing. I looked forward to seeing him and watching him. and openly admit his attraction wasn't just his tennis! Back to the present, and this book had me alternately feeling sorry for him because of his very hard childhood at the hands of his, quite frankly, bullying father, who was unable to show his youngest child any love. I could quite understand why Agassi soon learned to hate tennis, but it was all he knew. Before I'd got halfway through the book, though, I was starting to get a little irritated at the constant 'poor little me' attitude he adopted, and wondered WHY, being in the US where seeking therapy is almost a way of life, he didn't do the same. Then I got irritated with myself for not siding with him, and was relieved that he had people beside him all the way through his career, people who really cared for him. It's a sad story in many ways, that this was a very gifted man who spent so much of his young life doing something that gave him so much physical and mental pain. However, through this hard life, he was able to help many and was, in the end, able to achieve a lot in the tennis world, and was content with his lot. I really hope he still is, as he still comes over as a genuinely lovely person, someone who's not afraid to show his true feelings. The photo on the cover says it all, really.

This was recommended to me by someone who hates sport and he was right - this a great autobiography.

Autobiographies are, often, hagiographies. Her,e you find quite little of that. There is, instead, a lot of what sounds like a genuine outpour. Very pleasant read, indeed.

Whenever Andre Agassi played, it made you weak in the knees. His grace and style were so unique that women fell for him. On behalf of all the young women of 90s, I can say that watching him on television was a treat to the eyes. An acclaimed hero and distinguished celebrity. The larger-than-life personality loved by his fans and hated by the media. An inspiration to the youngsters who would love to trade their lives for his…… The book gets the human behind the larger-than-life persona. After completion, the first thought that crosses your mind is how can real-life be so different from what we believe and see. Feels like complete fiction- too haunting to be true. The book starts with the last game of Andre, the end, the pain that he is undergoing, and the hatred that he has for the game…. this builds great confusion in the minds of the readers regarding how can you hate the game you play with such elan, how can you hate something that gave you name, fame and money… desperation arises in the reader to unravel the truth for this hatred and so the mysterious beginning makes the book un put down able. Andre from childhood hated his life because of the pressure created by his father Mike Agassi to turn him into a champion. An aggressive, tyrannical, dominating father whose purpose in life was to make his children champions. The rigorous training breaks down the older three but Andre, the prodigy with raw talent, makes Mike realize his dream. The emotional trauma that Andre undergoes when his father makes him hit a certain number of balls every day based on a mathematical calculation, the machine he created to hit balls christened “A Dragon” by Agassi, the silence of his mother, the violent nature of his father makes Andre rebellious. Pierced body, a mohawk, makeup, and drugs were ways he dealt with the stress. He is sad, anguished, in pain, and hates everything around him. This story could belong to any ordinary youngster who is put under performance pressure and violent surroundings. The silent conflicts that Andre was going through were a perfect recipe for mental health issues. You hate Mike Agassi all along, but tears swell up and you cry with him at the end when he tells Agassi to quit tennis. Finally, he sees his son’s pain and realizes the mess he has made of his son. Agassi lived a life of lies, he spoke to the press in their language…something that they would love to hear. His heart and mind contradicted every word that came out of his mouth. Once the press asked him that would his son play tennis, he immediately responded by saying that Jaden would love to play tennis. This was the reply the media wanted. In reality, he and Steffi never wanted their kids to take up tennis and had decided that they will never push their children. They both decided against making a tennis court in their backyard. In spite of being such huge players of their time, they did not have a tennis court in their backyard and went to a public tennis court and rent it for an hour to practice for a charity match that they had to play. The writing is so perfect that it feels like a visual. An engaging autobiography that will interest those also who have not followed his journey. You live the life of Agassi with him. You feel for him, tears swell when he is in pain, feel delighted when he is happy, feel joyful when he starts seeing Stefanie, your heart breaks with his break-ups and your soul is grateful when he is not penalized for drug use. Andre has been so open about the romantic escapades and drug usage, I was in awe of the candidness with which he narrated the good, bad & ugly incidents of his life. The grace with which he accepted the mistakes and learnings after each experience can be inspirational for all the readers. As a fan who has followed his tennis journey closely, it breaks you to see the hurt the game has caused, and the lies that he has lived. Personally, I loved his journey after Steffi Graf came into his life. The simplicity with which they accepted each other’s presence in their lives asserts the fact that the top positions are always lonely and the heart yearns for a simple life with people whom you love. The flamboyance was only restricted to the news and media. I feel so grateful that Agassi lived his life before the social media era. In the present digital era, the world along with his father would have destroyed him completely as a person. The sports writers announced his end many times and he bounced back always. A two-decades-long international sports career that he lived is never heard of. He made records, won championships, and played with the generation on the way out, his counterparts and the generation that would shine on the world stage after him…….and all this with innate hate towards the game. Maybe he didn’t know how else to live his life. Andre, without formal education in his life, understood the importance of education and created a foundation that looked after the education of underprivileged children. He titles this phase of his life “The beginning”, and visits the school whenever he has time. Somewhere there is regret for not having completed formal education. This school is everything he dreamt of, a HAPPY place !!! A must-read for all…..irrespective of the fact whether you are a sports enthusiast or not.

One of the best autobiographies I've ever read. I say this not from a tennis perspective but from anyone looking to learn about a person struggling to overcome hardships through his remarkable journey. Highly recommend it - and don't worry, for anyone who doesn't follow tennis - you do not need to be well into tennis to appreciate this autobiography.

Sempre fui fã do Agassi, ao ponto de imitar o seu backhand quando eu jogava. O que eu não imaginava era que ele poderia me ensinar tanto mesmo após a sua aposentadoria através do seu livro. Suas comparações do tênis com a vida são incríveis.

What amazing memories of a person I grew up watching on TV. It’s so amazing to read the inner thoughts of an elite champion. The book will not disappoint