Open: An Autobiography
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- Create Date：2021-08-01 08:53:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Andre Agassi
- ISBN：0007281439
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Summary
He is one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court -- but from early childhood Andre Agassi hated the game。 Coaxed to swing a racket while still in the crib， forced to hit hundreds of balls a day while still in grade school， Agassi resented the constant pressure even as he drove himself to become a prodigy， an inner conflict that would define him。 Now， in his beautiful， haunting autobiography， Agassi tells the story of a life framed by such conflicts。 Agassi makes us feel his panic as an undersized seven-year-old in Las Vegas， practicing all day under the obsessive gaze of his violent father。 We see him at thirteen， banished to a Florida tennis camp。 Lonely， scared， a ninth-grade dropout， he rebels in ways that will soon make him a 1980s icon。 By the time he turns pro at sixteen， his new look promises to change tennis forever， as does his lightning fast return。 And yet， despite his raw talent， he struggles early on。 We feel his confusion as he loses to the world's best， his greater confusion as he starts to win。 After stumbling in three Grand Slam finals， Agassi shocks the world， and himself， by capturing the 1992 Wimbledon。 Overnight he becomes a fan favorite and a media target。 Agassi brings a near-photographic memory to every pivotal match， and every public relationship。 Alongside vivid portraits of rivals， Agassi gives unstinting accounts of his brief time with Barbra Streisand and his doomed marriage to Brooke Shields。 He reveals the depression that shatters his confidence， and the mistake that nearly costs him everything。 Finally， he recounts his spectacular resurrection and his march to become the oldest man ever ranked number one。 In clear， taut prose， Agassi evokes his loyal brother， his wise coach， his gentle trainer， all the people who help him regain his balance and find love at last with Stefanie Graf。 With its breakneck tempo and raw candor， Open will be read and cherished for
Reviews
Maggie
，
Enjoyed I got it as recommended
Helena
，
I'm not very interested in tennis and didn't know much about Agassi before reading this book， but for some reason I've liked many autobiographies of athletes。 There seem to be many crazy parents like Agassi's father behind the 'successful' stories。 I'm not very interested in tennis and didn't know much about Agassi before reading this book， but for some reason I've liked many autobiographies of athletes。 There seem to be many crazy parents like Agassi's father behind the 'successful' stories。 。。。more
Elena
，
“I slide to my knees and say: “Please let this be over。” Then， I’m not ready for it to be over。”
Claire
，
（SPOILERS） I was drawn to this book because of its genre （my favorite， a memoir）， Agassi's celebrity status/involvements （Brooke Shields！）， and the topic of the sport I probably know best: tennis。 The opening chapters were incredibly moving。 He begins by describing his last tournament， and even for a casual tennis fan like me， it's gripping writing for a sport that is admittedly not always the most exciting to watch， much less read。 It's gripping because although the mindset and skills of an eli （SPOILERS） I was drawn to this book because of its genre （my favorite， a memoir）， Agassi's celebrity status/involvements （Brooke Shields！）， and the topic of the sport I probably know best: tennis。 The opening chapters were incredibly moving。 He begins by describing his last tournament， and even for a casual tennis fan like me， it's gripping writing for a sport that is admittedly not always the most exciting to watch， much less read。 It's gripping because although the mindset and skills of an elite athlete might be completely foreign to an average person， the emotional experience he describes is so human it is immediately compelling and recognizable， if not entirely relatable。 I'm always drawn to any memoir that deals with complicated parental relationships， and this one begins and ends with one。 Andre hates tennis at a young age， and he hates his father for making him play insane amounts of tennis。 Yet while Agassi describes his hatred of his father intensely， he never paints in a dehumanizing light。 By the end of the book， he does a beautiful job of sculpting a more complete portrayal and understanding of who his father is--realizing that "he hates tennis too"。 That moment （or description） gives the reader （and Andre， I think） peace about this tumultuous， strained relationship that follows the entire book。I wish Agassi had given a similarly 3-dimension portrayal of the love of his life， Steffi Graf。 He puts her on a pedestal for years， almost prophetically predicting and then manifesting their relationship for almost a decade， but doesn't do too much to describe why their relationship actually works。 However， it seems that their similar upbringings （domineering fathers who set the courses for their lives） would give them plenty of common ground to build a foundation from。 Throughout the entire book， he describes conversation after conversation where he tells people he hates tennis and they simply do not understand。 Telling Steffi this for the first time， however， does not require explanation--she simply gives him a look that says "of course"。 Towards the end， I imagined myself writing a review that described this memoir as a life of contradictions--he hates tennis， but spent his life doing so as one of the best to play the game。 He was a high school dropout that never did well academically， yet his proudest accomplishment is the charter school he started。 And minutes later in the book， he says his first commencement speech would be about contradictions--the need to at least accept them in his life。 I love stories that explore the contradictions of the human experience， and Andre's life is rich material for that purpose。The book started to lose me towards the middle/end with descriptions of match after match （and a whole lot of losses）， but redeemed itself with a superb， satisfying ending。 He describes tennis in the beginning as "the loneliest sport of all"， which factors into why he hates it so much。 The closing scene - post-retirement， playing a casual game of tennis with his wife - is rich with amusing irony （two absolute legends hitting around on a public court）。 The entire book， his 30+ years of tennis， had been a grueling， miserable experience。 He never let you forget his disdain for the sport， the hardship of losing。 It's interesting to enter into someone's pain， but it's also unsettling when it seems there is so little joy。 When in that closing scene Steffi wants to leave the public court but he convinces her to keep playing while longer because he's "not ready to leave"， you realize Agassi has finally found what he's always felt guilty for not having--a love of the game。 。。。more
Fanny
，
The relationship between the primarys is very interesting。
Sandra Gibbons
，
"My father says that if I hit 2，500 balls each day， I’ll hit 17，500 balls each week， and at the end of one year I’ll have hit nearly one million balls。 He believes in math。 Numbers， he says， don’t lie。 A child who hits one million balls each year will be unbeatable。"And so begins Andre's long， long tennis career。I've never played tennis in my life， apart from what was required of me in grade school P。E。， and I found this book totally engrossing—just painfully relatable。This is a book about s "My father says that if I hit 2，500 balls each day， I’ll hit 17，500 balls each week， and at the end of one year I’ll have hit nearly one million balls。 He believes in math。 Numbers， he says， don’t lie。 A child who hits one million balls each year will be unbeatable。"And so begins Andre's long， long tennis career。I've never played tennis in my life， apart from what was required of me in grade school P。E。， and I found this book totally engrossing—just painfully relatable。This is a book about so many things。 Perhaps， most importantly， the obsessive fathers and mothers who forcibly impress their passionate solutions and expectations upon their children。 Children who then go out into the world without any true sense of who they are， who suffer through life as perfectionists， who then struggle to find meaning and purpose in their lives。Portions of this book made me cry， especially in the first half， which gets into Andre's upbringing and his relationships with his brother， Philly， and his best friend， Perry。 If the scenes of self-loathing and screaming about being a "born loser" don't gut you， I don't know what will。 "Philly sits in a corner， beating himself up over the loss， but at least it’s a fair fight， one on one。 Then along comes my father。 He jumps in and helps Philly gang up on Philly。 There is name-calling， slapping。 By rights this should make Philly a basket case。。。Instead， after every verbal or physical assault at the hands of himself and my father， Philly’s slightly more careful with me， more protective。 Gentler。 He wants me spared his fate。"Though I didn't grow up with an enraged Olympian father， I do have a mother who grew up in extreme poverty—third-world country poverty—who， understandably， learned to worship the dollar。 Through her own singular temper tantrums， she tried to instill that same belief system in me and my younger sister。 Dad， too， in his own way。 I'm 36 years old and still find myself struggling to free myself of the caged thinking we were raised in。 Some parents take extreme measures to ensure that their children don't have to suffer in the ways they did growing up。 All that does is create a new kind of suffering， a new prison to overcome。If you're a reader who enjoys poking around in someone's head to understand the experiences and motivations that would form a person like Andre Agassi， give Open a read。Though the thoughts and quirks throughout the 400+ pages are unmistakably Andre's—and backed by vaults of editorial clippings and accessible interviews and games—I think J。R。 Moehringer did superb work in helping get this story transcribed from voice recording to written form。 The writing is spectacular。 。。。more
Indiana Caffrey
，
Incredible story & very well written！ There are definitely times where you struggle with his actions a little， but his character growth is great to read through！ Highly recommend！
ATG
，
Relectura。 Fundamental
Soho_Black
，
Inspired by Wimbledon being on the television and wanting something other than the murder and mayhem of my usual crime thriller reading， I switched top a bit of sporting non-fiction， a genre which features surprisingly highly on my bookshelves。 These days， many of the top tennis players are quite staid and， dare I say， a touch dull。 This wasn’t always the case， particularly in the men’s game， as you had characters like John McEnroe arguing with umpires and the flowing locks and full-on game of t Inspired by Wimbledon being on the television and wanting something other than the murder and mayhem of my usual crime thriller reading， I switched top a bit of sporting non-fiction， a genre which features surprisingly highly on my bookshelves。 These days， many of the top tennis players are quite staid and， dare I say， a touch dull。 This wasn’t always the case， particularly in the men’s game， as you had characters like John McEnroe arguing with umpires and the flowing locks and full-on game of the likes of Andre Agassi。“Open” is the story of this latter player， Andre Agassi and the title has the double meaning of the open era of tennis， which began in 1968 when professional tennis players were first allowed to compete in the Grand Slam tournaments， as well as the openness of the content。 That said， there is far more of the former than the latter here。 Starting with a prologue as he leads up to his retirement， which is due to happen when he gets knocked out of the 2006 US Open， he runs through his life chronologically， from his early days being trained by his father， onto the Bollettieri Academy and through his professional career， marriage and fatherhood， as well as his charitable works until coming full circle to his final tournament。What I like about “Open” is the way it is written， similar to the way Agassi played tennis。 He rattles through his career， talking about matches and events in quite a rapid-fire way， as if each story is a rally that he wants to get finished so he can move on to the next point。 Some of the more personal sections do move a touch slower， but as Agassi’s entire life was based around tennis， there is a lot more about this than anything else， which means this becomes the main feature of the book。The downside to this is that things can get a bit repetitive， as particularly during the early and middle parts of his career， tennis was all he had。 Whilst Agassi did some training outside of tennis， this was all with Gil Reyes and all centred around getting him fit for the next tournament， so even whilst he wasn’t actually playing， he was nearly always preparing to play。 Things outside tennis aren’t touched upon all that much， and his relationship with Brooke Shields and his family don’t feature too heavily， possibly because neither was terribly harmonious， although his romance and life with Steffi Graf did feature more heavily， as this was clearly happier and something Agassi felt that he could dwell on。Considering that Agassi states frequently how much he hated tennis and the issues he’s had with relationships， particularly those with his father and his first wife， his emotional state rarely makes it onto the page。 This is one of the few areas where his all-action writing style doesn’t nearly work， as whilst it helps skip over the frequently repetitive accounts of tennis matches， it also helps skip over the psychological difficulties of playing on tour with other things going on in life and gives the impression that Agassi grew up to be the tennis-playing robot his father was aiming for， rather than becoming an adult human being。 “Open” is a fairly decently paced read for tennis fans， but the title loses the double meaning upon reading， as it really only refers to the tennis， not about being honest and open in his life。 Those who read autobiographies for gossip will be disappointed here， as there is virtually none， although I do like that。 However， I like to read autobiographies to find out things I didn’t know about the writers and see more about how it feels to live that kind of life and there wasn’t much of that here either， which I felt was a real pity， as the hints about Agassi’s life outside tennis suggests there is a lot more to be told， but he wasn’t prepared or able to open up at this stage。 。。。more
Debbie
，
I know nothing about tennis， but this book had good reviews so I thought I would try it。 It was a good book to read about how life doesn't always go our way and facing challenges and hardships！ Andre was forced to play tennis by his dad， he didn't even like it but continued to play and improve his performance。 I did learn a little about tennis。 I know nothing about tennis， but this book had good reviews so I thought I would try it。 It was a good book to read about how life doesn't always go our way and facing challenges and hardships！ Andre was forced to play tennis by his dad， he didn't even like it but continued to play and improve his performance。 I did learn a little about tennis。 。。。more
Deepa
，
A very entertaining and nice Bio！ I always liked Andre Agassi for his looks and his punk style。。。but to read his life like this really made me have more respect for this man！ His coaching with his father and later at the Academy， his love affair and marriage with Brooke- how and why it didnt work， his respect and love for Stefi Graf and his life with her after marriage and kids， his academy for children。。。all of this is truly heartfelt。Agassi continuously goes about his failures。。it makes you th A very entertaining and nice Bio！ I always liked Andre Agassi for his looks and his punk style。。。but to read his life like this really made me have more respect for this man！ His coaching with his father and later at the Academy， his love affair and marriage with Brooke- how and why it didnt work， his respect and love for Stefi Graf and his life with her after marriage and kids， his academy for children。。。all of this is truly heartfelt。Agassi continuously goes about his failures。。it makes you think that the no。 of defeats at the game he faced was more thank his wins。Above all of this I loved the way he cared and nurtured his relationships with his friends， his coach， his instructor and all。 A very nice book and does not drag you at any time。 。。。more
Kon R。
，
This is the book that kicked off my autobiography obsession。 I think anyone can enjoy this even if they know next to nothing about tennis。 Agassi's story is more about inner struggles than the sport he is known for。 I am planning a re-read in the near future。 This is the book that kicked off my autobiography obsession。 I think anyone can enjoy this even if they know next to nothing about tennis。 Agassi's story is more about inner struggles than the sport he is known for。 I am planning a re-read in the near future。 。。。more
Valentin Vișan
，
While I'm not a fan of tennis， I enjoyed how open （pun intended） and vulnerable he was about his personal and intimate life。 This read is very far away from my usual suspects， but a welcome one nonetheless。 While I'm not a fan of tennis， I enjoyed how open （pun intended） and vulnerable he was about his personal and intimate life。 This read is very far away from my usual suspects， but a welcome one nonetheless。 。。。more
Karen
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Really interesting。
Richard Byrne
，
Super book about a fascinating life。
Steve Lundh
，
Usually sports biographies are not my thing as they tend to make for a tedious read but Open by Andre Agassi was so personal that I really enjoyed it。 I watched Agassi play pretty much his whole career and had very little knowledge of his life and struggles beyond the tennis court。 Not really a feel good story but an honest， gritty and sometimes exciting story none the less。
Mohammad Tufael Chowdhury
，
Perhaps the best sports autobiography I have read。 This is an open （not just by name）， brutally honest book which doesn't hide behind the player's accolades or the vanity of stardom。 It is raw， unvarnished and human all the way through， never far from the tennis that Agassi loves and hates， but always centred on life rather than the game itself。 I did find the book quite heavy emotionally， at times， and this got me into my own moods as I read it。 But if anything this is a compliment to the writi Perhaps the best sports autobiography I have read。 This is an open （not just by name）， brutally honest book which doesn't hide behind the player's accolades or the vanity of stardom。 It is raw， unvarnished and human all the way through， never far from the tennis that Agassi loves and hates， but always centred on life rather than the game itself。 I did find the book quite heavy emotionally， at times， and this got me into my own moods as I read it。 But if anything this is a compliment to the writing。 。。。more
Alex Salazar
，
Drags a bit towards the end like Agassi’s career but overall a great read。 Always fascinating reading about someone who’s fully dedicated their life to something。
Federica
，
Un libro in cui si soffre e si suda insieme al tennista Agassi。 Si respira la polvere della terra dei campi da tennis， si percepisce la fatica anche psicologica che sta dietro ad ogni gara， ad ogni torneo。 Un tennista eclettico che dice di aver sempre odiato il tennis ma che， nonostante ciò， si è trovato ai vertici del ranking mondiale。 Un rapporto estremamente difficile e conflittuale con il padre lo segnerà per tutta la vita。
Mihaela
，
Absolutely loved it！
Aoife McMenamin
，
I think my age contributed to how much I adored this。 I spent my teenage years watching Agassi/Sampras/Graf。 It was a nostalgic read/listen for me。 Fabulously candid， riotously funny at times。 A lot of tennis in there so you’d want to be a fan I think。 Loved it。 🎧
Rosalie
，
I don't understand tennis， but I loved learning about his life and what he went through to be the champion！ I don't understand tennis， but I loved learning about his life and what he went through to be the champion！ 。。。more
LLibreZeta
，
En esta autobiografía el tenista se abre en canal。 De una forma muy sincera y llana cuenta lo que el tenis ha significado para él， cómo le ha condicionado la vida y cómo lo ha odiado durante muchos años。 Conocer la vida de un deportista de élite， contada por él mismo desde la honestidad， y no desde el “postureo” de la felicidad y del éxito suscita mucho interés y es realmente apasionante。 El libro tiene dos autores Andre Agassi， el tenista protagonista y J。R。 Moehringer escritor ganador del prem En esta autobiografía el tenista se abre en canal。 De una forma muy sincera y llana cuenta lo que el tenis ha significado para él， cómo le ha condicionado la vida y cómo lo ha odiado durante muchos años。 Conocer la vida de un deportista de élite， contada por él mismo desde la honestidad， y no desde el “postureo” de la felicidad y del éxito suscita mucho interés y es realmente apasionante。 El libro tiene dos autores Andre Agassi， el tenista protagonista y J。R。 Moehringer escritor ganador del premio Pultizer 2000。 Es un libro bien escrito que te engancha desde el principio。No hace falta que te guste el tenis， porque lo interesante es la vida de una celebridad que en muchos aspectos refleja la vida de cualquiera de nosotros。 Pero si además te interesa el tenis vas a disfrutar doblemente， viendo pasar muchos referentes de este deporte desde la mirada de Agassi。Muy， muy y muy recomendable 。。。more
Melissa L。
，
A must-read for tennis lovers！
Bailey McGinn
，
I'm not a tennis fan but I do love a good sports bio。 I really enjoyed the first half of the book and it certainly humanised Agassi。 What starts as an interesting tale of a young man growing up with an overbearing father and a natural talent for a game that he hates loses steam once he makes it as a professional。 The book becomes as laborious as one of his matches against Pete Sampras。 Also， he comes off a little narcissistic despite making obvious efforts to sound humble。 Still， overall a good I'm not a tennis fan but I do love a good sports bio。 I really enjoyed the first half of the book and it certainly humanised Agassi。 What starts as an interesting tale of a young man growing up with an overbearing father and a natural talent for a game that he hates loses steam once he makes it as a professional。 The book becomes as laborious as one of his matches against Pete Sampras。 Also， he comes off a little narcissistic despite making obvious efforts to sound humble。 Still， overall a good read and one that I would recommend to sports fans。 。。。more
Gaurav Andreas
，
It starts off as one of the best sports biographies ever and very slowly tapers down in quality， but the small details that Agassi reveals keep us bound to his story。 Anyone whose even slightly into Tennis should read this。
Andreea
，
I never read biographies。 They are dull， they are trying way too hard to make the person's life seem like a wonderful story to be told， while picking the facts that can create that type of image。 Not this one。 Not this time。 Some say that he is too scandalous with everything that he shared， but it's only the case for the ones who are unconfortable with the raw truth in the everyday life as well。 I never read biographies。 They are dull， they are trying way too hard to make the person's life seem like a wonderful story to be told， while picking the facts that can create that type of image。 Not this one。 Not this time。 Some say that he is too scandalous with everything that he shared， but it's only the case for the ones who are unconfortable with the raw truth in the everyday life as well。 。。。more
Grayson Adelmann
，
Easily 4。5， pushing 5 hardAbsolutely stunning production… One of the most entertaining books I have ever read， especially considering it’s length。 I found myself with sweaty palms， my heart racing， or tears welling at any given chapter。 I don’t know how I feel about the charter school discussion near the end。 Whether or not it’s a bit of a brag or a plug， I’m not sure。 I guess Andre has the rights to brag or plug himself in his autobiography any time he wants regardless。 Otherwise， I have no cri Easily 4。5， pushing 5 hardAbsolutely stunning production… One of the most entertaining books I have ever read， especially considering it’s length。 I found myself with sweaty palms， my heart racing， or tears welling at any given chapter。 I don’t know how I feel about the charter school discussion near the end。 Whether or not it’s a bit of a brag or a plug， I’m not sure。 I guess Andre has the rights to brag or plug himself in his autobiography any time he wants regardless。 Otherwise， I have no criticisms。 Huge recommend from me。 Well well well worth the 400 or so pages。 。。。more
Teija Kuustonen
，
Kesäloman toinen elämänkerta - nimensä mukaisesti avoin， mutta myös mukaansatempaavasti ja sujuvasti kirjoitettu kasvutarina: Vaikka monen kirjassa kuvatun pelin kohdalla tiesin lopputuloksen， niin lukiessa jännitin silti。 Välillä naureskelin itsekseni， välillä olin tippa linssissä。 Parhautta 🎾❤️ Kirjasta tekee mielenkiintoisen ennen kaikkea kaksi asiaa: 1） Sisäisen puheen valtavan suuren merkityksen korostuminen （”monta peliä on voitettu aamusuihkussa”） - asia， joka ei varmasti päde pelkästään Kesäloman toinen elämänkerta - nimensä mukaisesti avoin， mutta myös mukaansatempaavasti ja sujuvasti kirjoitettu kasvutarina: Vaikka monen kirjassa kuvatun pelin kohdalla tiesin lopputuloksen， niin lukiessa jännitin silti。 Välillä naureskelin itsekseni， välillä olin tippa linssissä。 Parhautta 🎾❤️ Kirjasta tekee mielenkiintoisen ennen kaikkea kaksi asiaa: 1） Sisäisen puheen valtavan suuren merkityksen korostuminen （”monta peliä on voitettu aamusuihkussa”） - asia， joka ei varmasti päde pelkästään urheilumaailmassa。 2） Uskomaton ristiriita， mikä saa Agassin jatkamaan pelaamista vuodesta toiseen - vaikka on vihannut lajia lapsesta saakka。 。。。more
Becky
，
What a great autobiography， man I just loved it！ So very well written， entertaining and extremely candid。 I highly recommend this book and totally love and respect Andre Agassi after reading his story。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Open: An Autobiography
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Open: An Autobiography&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft