Open: An Autobiography
by Andre Agassi
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Book Summary Information
Author: Andre AgassiEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Deckle Edge
Published: 2009-11-09
ISBN: 0307268195
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Knopf
Book Reviews of Open: An Autobiography
Book Review: "No journey is impossible."
Summary: 5 Stars
In Andre Agassi's "Open," the former tennis great bares his soul, recounting his dysfunctional childhood as the son of a taskmaster. Although Andre claims that he hated tennis with all his heart, he had to "keep playing, keep hitting all morning, and all afternoon," because his father, Mike, left him no choice. The symbol of Mike Agassi's mania was "the dragon," a ball machine that made unearthly noises and flung balls at over one hundred miles per hour towards his seven-year-old child. Mike wanted Andre to hit 2,500 balls daily, and would scream at him, "More topspin! Hit harder. Hit harder. Not in the net!" In the Agassi household, "if you're not perfect, you're a loser." When Andre was in the middle of seventh grade, Mike shipped him off to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, which Andre hated and called "a glorified prison camp." Andre paid a huge price for his father's abusive behavior and his mother's failure to intervene. Although he is extremely intelligent, he did poorly in school and never completed his formal education. Mike lived vicariously through his young son, and stated unequivocally that someday, Andre would win an Olympic gold medal and be number one in the world. Mike did not worry about what this exclusive focus on tennis would cost his son in terms of happiness and peace of mind.
"Open" is a heartrending portrait of the damage that an overbearing and single-minded parent can inflict on a helpless child. As a result of his father's tyrannical behavior, Andre spent years in a sort of stupor, living his life on autopilot. Although he surrounded himself with a group of friends who watched his back, Andre's life was intensely lonely and emotionally vacant. Yet, he projected the image of a rebel with his untamed hairdo, piercings, and rowdy lifestyle. He told one of his buddies that "having no choice, having no say about what I do or who I am, makes me crazy." Since he had no childhood or adolescence to speak of (he turned pro at sixteen), Andre did not actually mature until much later.
This book is a must read for tennis fans. Andre traces his career in detail, and aficionados of the game will enjoy his candid account of his many successes and failures. He also offers his opinions about his opponents, such as Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras (his number one nemesis), and even Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, whom he faced when they were just starting their careers. Agassi discusses his personal life--including his now infamous drug use--and explains why his marriage to Brooke Shields was so short-lived. He touchingly recalls how he wooed and won the hand of Steffi Graf, and revels in the success of the charter school he helped establish for underprivileged kids in Las Vegas. "Open" is a forthright, smoothly written, and sardonically humorous account of the ups and downs in the life of a tennis icon. Agassi makes it clear that to reach the top and stay there, a player must overcome a host of physical and mental obstacles. Two points worth noting are that the quality of the grainy black and white photographs is poor and the book lacks an index, which would have been useful. As is fitting, Agassi gives full credit to J. R. Moehringer, who along with others, helped shape this moving and absorbing autobiography.
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