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. Like Agassi's game, it sets a new standard for grace, style, speed and power.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. A treat for ardent fans, it will also captivate readers who know nothing about tennis. With its breakneck tempo and raw candor, Open will be read and cherished for years.

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.

Finally, he recounts his spectacular resurrection and his march to become the oldest man ever ranked number one. He reveals the depression that shatters his confidence, and the mistake that nearly costs him everything. Alongside vivid portraits of rivals, Agassi gives unstinting accounts of his brief time with Barbra Streisand and his doomed marriage to Brooke Shields. Overnight he becomes a fan favorite and a media target.Īgassi brings a near-photographic memory to every pivotal match, and every public relationship. After stumbling in three Grand Slam finals, Agassi shocks the world, and himself, by capturing the 1992 Wimbledon. We feel his confusion as he loses to the world's best, his greater confusion as he starts to win. By the time he turns pro at sixteen, his new look promises to change tennis forever, as does his lightning fast return.Īnd yet, despite his raw talent, he struggles early on. Lonely, scared, a ninth-grade dropout, he rebels in ways that will soon make him a 1980s icon. We see him at thirteen, banished to a Florida tennis camp. Now, in his beautiful, haunting autobiography, Agassi tells the story of a life framed by such conflicts.Īgassi 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. 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.Ĭoaxed 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.

Open agassi book