Open is the autobiography of tennis legend Andre Agassi. It opens with one of the most compelling prologues I’ve ever read and then serves up page after page of the fascinating triumphs and tribulations of Agassi’s life. (I promise that’s the only tennis pun I’ll use.)
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I read Open as part of the 2020 Thoughtful Reading Challenge. July’s assignment was to read a sports-related book in honor of the Summer Olympics that are supposed to be taking place right now. (Stupid coronavirus!) Agassi won Olympic gold in 1996, so this book was completely on point.
I have to admit that I do not follow tennis, maybe because I never played but also because the matches are so, so long. But I knew some things about Andre Agassi, probably because he was tabloid fodder for so many years. For example, I knew about his fabulous, frosted mullet; his short marriage to Brooke Shields; his second marriage to Steffi Graf; and that his foundation opened a charter school in Las Vegas around the time he retired.
The gossip and sensationalism often overshadowed his accomplishments on the tennis court, and I think one of purposes of this book is to set the record straight. He really did have a remarkable career. For example, he is one of the few players to win an Olympic gold medal and all four “slams” – the US, French, and Australian Opens plus Wimbledon. And his career lasted until he was 36, well past the average retirement age of most tennis players.
But, as the book explains, he broke onto the scene at an early age and was ill-equipped to handle fame, success, and failure. Like so many successful athletes (I’m thinking of Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters), Agassi was the product of a parent who aggressively made him pursue tennis starting from a very early age. Based on the descriptions of his childhood, I consider his father’s behavior abusive. Then he was shipped off to a grim Florida tennis academy where he was allowed to drop out of 8th (9th?) grade, but continued to focus on tennis.
He turned pro when he was a rebellious teenager. The spotlight was on him when he was still figuring out who he was and before he had developed any level of emotional maturity. He was a prodigy, but his early career was characterized by inconsistency and his entire career was steeped in fierce emotion.
“Figuring out who he was” is a constant theme throughout the book. Tennis was thrust upon him, and he claims repeatedly to hate it. The tennis legend hates tennis. I found that a little hard to believe, especially since he played it for so long. But he compared it to anyone who is stuck in a job they are good at but don’t like. It may not be fulfilling but it pays the bills. Okay, I can relate to that.
Throughout his life, Agassi tried to surround himself with a supportive team of people, I assume to heal the emotional damage his father inflicted. Some of my favorite stories in the book are of his close relationships with his team members, especially his personal trainer, Gil, who became a father figure. Agassi, despite his incredible success, comes across as vulnerable and wounded, so I found myself wanting him to have good, loving people in his life.
Ultimately, he finds fulfillment in the family he starts with Steffi Graf and in the mission of the charter school that bears his name. That made me happy, too. It was a long, grueling road for him, but he seemed to finally be at peace with himself.
Open was ghostwritten by Pulitzer Prize winner J. R. Moehringer, who also ghostwrote Phil Knight’s memoir, Shoe Dog. This work was so well-constructed. Agassi laid it all out – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and the author did a phenomenal job telling his story. I was a little sad when both Agassi’s tennis career and his autobiography ended.
I highly recommend Open. You don’t even have to be a tennis fan to enjoy it. You just need to appreciate an interesting life story.
Did anyone else read a sports-related book this month? Please share!
Reminder – August’s challenge is to read a book set in a cold climate.
Book Thoughts from Bed 
Now I have to read it just for the opening–so intrigued! Thanks for the review!
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I always think of you when I read nonfiction now. “What would Alison think about this?”
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Michelle, you’re too kind! I too read Open by Agassi. There were parts of it that I really enjoyed, particularly the relationships and some of the tennis matches. Since I watched some tennis growing up, I was familiar with many of the key on-court characters. I thought the continual battle against Pete Sampras was particularly enjoyable. Oh, except for the tasteless cheap shot at Pete for his supposedly frugal tipping. Uncool dude.
Why was I not a huge fan of the book? First off, I thought there was too much tennis. After a while, the matches all blended together and ultimately, didn’t impact the overall story. Yep, he won a lot and lost some. Point by point replays of so many matches was just a bit too much. Oh, and he said he never forgot a match. Did he really recall each and every one of these matches point for point? Really?
Ultimately, I just didn’t find Andre to be a reliable narrator. The theme throughout the book seems to be, “I was just misunderstood. I wasn’t the bad boy of tennis but that’s just how I was portrayed.” Since I remember watching him play, I beg to differ. Good on him for sharing some of his tirades on the court but there were so many during his career. Uh, don’t ever remember Pete Sampras f bombing the line judge. Gee, I wonder why his image was different from yours? Then there was the clothes, the hair, the car, the earrings, etc. Those were choices he made. During his career, he could have decided to change this image as he gained in experience and maturity. He chose not to until he was in the twilight of his career. Andre purports to be completely surprised and almost taken advantage of by the Canon “image is everything” commercial. Again, really? It was perfect marketing and he was a part of it. Oh yeah, and he never shared with the reader how much he was paid for it either…. Weird. “Poor me” is not the theme that comes to mind.
The “I hate tennis” mantra also got really old, especially when considering that he played waaaaay longer than most. He goes to great pains (pun intended) to describe his deteriorating physical health and supposedly hates the game, yet he keeps at it. He’s selling it but I’m not buying it.
The book was insightful of what some parents will do to achieve success for their kids in sports. Unfortunately, the theme is rather consistent, unhappy kids who turn in to unhappy adults. On a good point, if his academy for kids is doing half of what he claims it does, then that’s wonderful and something to be proud of.
Finally, I see this book as Agassi’s attempt at revisionist history. I think the older, more mature, settled down Agassi looks back and wishes that maybe his legacy would be a bit different. This is his way of trying to shape that legacy. Good luck with that.
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I respect your opinion, George, no matter how wrong it is. 🙂
I suspect every celebrity memoir is an attempt to revise history, to some extent. And I suppose if I was more familiar with Agassi in his big hair and temper tantrum heyday I might be more skeptical, too. But the portrait the book painted early on of a damaged boy was always at the back of my mind as I read about the rest of his life. Maybe I let myself be manipulated by a clever writing device, but nonetheless I really liked the book!
And, yes, that was a cheap shot at Pete Sampras,
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I recently finished a book about the Wright family of Utah, several of whom are saddle bronc riders. Book is called The Last Cowboys by John Branch. I thought it was very interesting and quite well written.
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Hi Patty – thanks for commenting! It’s amazing how many good books I haven’t heard of! It sounds interesting and I’ve added it to my ever-increasing library list.
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I am a huge tennis fan but have not read this book. However, you mentioned the writer JRM, who wrote a book I loved called Tender Bar.
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Hi Laine! Evidently Andre Agassi liked The Tender Bar so much that he hired the author to be his ghostwriter. I think I’m going to have to read that book!
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