Andre Agassi

A candid memoir by the tennis champion includes coverage of his Grand Slam wins, establishment of a charitable foundation for underprivileged children and marriage to Stefanie Graf.

An Autobiography

Open

Said Afandi

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 years. A treat for ardent fans, it will also captivate readers who know nothing about tennis. Like Agassi's game, it sets a new standard for grace, style, speed and power.

Sebastian Stockmarr

lily

Alexandra S

I became a huge tennis fan during this summer holiday and in my quest to know absolutely everything I could know about this sport that i admire, I stumbled upon Mr Agassi's book.
I don't say that often, but the book made me feel like I was there, like I was in his shoes. It takes a lot of effort to be one of the greatest player in any sport and this book lets us to peek into his world, it was fascinating and inspirational.

Suso

Lila R E

Anthony

This book was really interesting. A lot of the content was enjoyable and some things I found shocking. For me though, I was never a huge Agassi fan. He was around before I got into tennis. Maybe that's why it didn't get that final fourth star. Agassi's memory of all of his matches is really good and it made me want to play a lot of tennis. My favourite part might actually be his story of love with Steffi Graf, but there are a lot of nuggets in here.

Jens Madsen

Not a tennis enthusiast by any means, but this was still a terrific book. Gave a raw peak inside elite sports, including the sacrifices made. Liked it because it also provided existential food for thought on how people can easily be pigeonholed doing something they hate but do very Well. Kudos to Agassi for the honesty.....

Jeannette Ordas

3.5 stars for this one. As a person, I'd hate Andre Agassi. I don't really get him or his music choices or his neediness. But this is a well told memoir and I found it pretty engrossing and I really, really appreciated his openness and honesty. Fascinating.

Aditi

Aditi Verma

Santi

De los mejores libros que he leído en tiempo. Raquetazos de sinceridad y valentía. Muy emocionante

Manoj Nayak

I read a tweet from shabani azmi asking shekhar kapur the director whether he had read “OPEN – an autobiography” by Andre Agassi, and he should consider making a movie out of it. Since then I have been mildly interested in reading this book. After checking out generous rating on goodreads.com and audible.com I decided to read this book.

The book is as OPEN and HONEST a person of Andre Agassi stature can get, he has come off as honest sport-person, who has a great deal of discipline and can take fight to any opponent. There is a not a single dull moment, with the behind the scene talk right from Andre on what was going on in his mind each game during all those gritty and wonderful matches he gave us. There are some insights into what goes into making a champion. Also there is a parallel story about his romance with Brooke Shields and Steffi Graf which is very interesting.

But this book did disappoint me some way, everything is real and basic, the jokes are most of the times cutes and once petty. I went in with a big expectation, I thought it would be magnum opus kind of read but then I should have remembered Andre is a tennis player & not a author and a writer.

Verdict: Read it because it is short.

Elizabeth Moore

Amazing. JR Moeheringer was such a good choice for a writing partner on this writing project; and it really comes off as nothing short of a truly even collaboration betwen moeheringer's unique style and Agassi's unelievable perspective on identity, tennis, the meaning of family, and, of course, his own life.

There were a few parts where I laughed out loud, for a while, and they weren't even close to beig pivotal parts of that story- this to me is one of the key qualifiers of truly good book.

For a book the revolves so much around the game of tennis, it is incredible how much more
Meaning Agassi gives to the life he lived on the court. Good read!!

Oh and tremendous use of significant detail

Bryan Maniotakis

I went into this not knowing a single thing about tennis. That first chapter sucked me in more than any other book in recent past.

Ricardo Sousa

Disclaimer: I'm a fan of tennis and, in particular, a fan of Agassi.

Would my rating change if it was not the case? Not entirely sure, but probably not. 

This is a great story, incredibly well told with/by Pullitzer-prize winner J.R. Moehringer.

Beecher Halladay

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.

Open An Autobiography

Reviews

Highlights