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Open

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 19,619 ratings · 2,830 reviews

From Andre Agassi, one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court, a beautiful, haunting autobiography.

Agassi’s incredibly rigorous training begins when he is just a child. By the age of thirteen, he is banished to a Florida tennis camp that feels like a prison camp. Lonely, scared, a ninth-grade dropout, he rebe...more From Andre Agassi, one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court, a beautiful, haunting autobiography.

Agassi’s incredibly rigorous training begins when he is just a child. By the age of thirteen, he is banished to a Florida tennis camp that feels like a prison camp. Lonely, scared, a ninth-grade dropout, he rebels in ways that will soon make him a 1980s icon. He dyes his hair, pierces his ears, dresses like a punk rocker. 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 relationship. Never before has the inner game of tennis and the outer game of fame been so precisely limned. Alongside vivid portraits of rivals from several generations—Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer—Agassi gives unstinting accounts of his brief time with Barbra Streisand and his doomed marriage to Brooke Shields. He reveals a shattering loss of confidence. And he recounts his spectacular resurrection, a comeback climaxing with his epic run at the 1999 French Open 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. Inspired by her quiet strength, he fights through crippling pain from a deteriorating spine to remain a dangerous opponent in the twenty-first and final year of his career. Entering his last tournament in 2006, he’s hailed for completing a stunning metamorphosis, from nonconformist to elder statesman, from dropout to education advocate. And still he’s not done. At a U.S. Open for the ages, he makes a courageous last stand, then delivers one of the most stirring farewells ever heard in a sporting arena.

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.(less)

Hardcover, 388 pages

Published November 9th 2009 by Knopf (first published January 1st 2009)

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Feb 13, 2011 Daniel Audet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Finished "Open" last night. I realize I'm way late to the party, this book having come out in Nov. '09, but I'm not really a non-fiction book reader. I'm still very glad to have read this, Andre's story.
Why should I, or we, care? Why should anyone at all, tennis fan or not, care about Andre Agassi's life, let alone buy his book? Because this isn't just the "story" of a tennis player or just a story at all. Andres life covers a lot of real estate, both literally and figuratively. From Las Vegas...more Finished "Open" last night. I realize I'm way late to the party, this book having come out in Nov. '09, but I'm not really a non-fiction book reader. I'm still very glad to have read this, Andre's story.
Why should I, or we, care? Why should anyone at all, tennis fan or not, care about Andre Agassi's life, let alone buy his book? Because this isn't just the "story" of a tennis player or just a story at all. Andres life covers a lot of real estate, both literally and figuratively. From Las Vegas to the great cities of the world. From obscure beginnings to dining and dancing and romancing with the world's rich and famous. A struggle played out in the most public of ways, laid on the big stage of life for all to see. Behind the classic court-side battles were more personal ones, deeper struggles, ones we all face. And at the end of the day, like Andre', we all hope to chalk up more wins than losses and to have left it all on the court, to not have been able to fight harder than we did. Such is this story. Certainly a reluctant and uncomfortable hero, but a hero none -the-less. Not bad, all from hitting a fuzzy neon colored ball.
Ok, now that we're past the obvious stuff let's get down to it.
I recall many times, watching Andre play on the tennis court, sometimes winning, sometimes losing. Most of the time it was clear he was giving his all, others, not so clear. Always cheering for him, no matter what, I look back on those memories wishing I knew then what I know now. If I had I would have been his biggest fan, bar none. In many ways, on a lot of levels, Andre became the poster boy of overcoming adversity, both physical and emotional, for many people around the world, including me. He himself may not have, we may not have, shared in the complete knowledge of this during his great career but instinctively I believe millions knew. I know I did. How else can you explain the love so many, some of whom weren't even really tennis fans, had for this kid, and still do?
No, this is so much more than a story of a tennis player. It's a true life tale of what it's all about and the bonus, the frosting on a very large cake, is that it has a happy ending. An ending that will go on for generations and never really end.
The good, the bad and the ugly. It's all here. Truthfully told by a reluctant superstar with the heart of a lion and the soul of a champion. I can't recommend this book enough. You will reflect on your own life, all the way back to the beginning. The wins, the losses, the highs and the lows in life are best faced full on, with focus, and being ready - to return serve. Hit harder!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
I started "Open" last night, not sure what to expect. Immediately I was struck by Andre's wit, intelligence and determination to put down his story in the clearest and most truthful terms. This book is much more than just another auto-bio from a celebrity athlete, though that certainly is a major element within it, but it's a razor sharp articulate full throttle story of one of the greatest athletes of our time, and, his fearless narration of life in his shoes. So far I am gripped, at 50 or so pages in, by Andre's brutal honesty and unflinching candor. It's almost as if he's looking at himself along with us as he speaks about his views and thoughts on his storied career and life, personally and professionally. His ability to recall detail of events from his entire 36 years, his career and his deepest thoughts is absolutely amazing!
If you, like me, have seen this book listed online or stood gazing at the startling cover photo on the book rack at the store and wondered if it would be worth buying, well, DON'T WONDER! I'm telling you it IS! Listen to me - I'm a hardcore action thriller fan, writer and reader. Rarely do I read non-fic, let alone auto-bio anything and I'm a hard sell when it comes to celeb's talking about themselves in any capacity since I myself grew up in pro sports and showbiz, in and around this type of individual. The first thing that'll hit you is his intelligence level and transparent, honest sense of himself, a very rare combo for an athlete or celebrity of his caliber. Yet, there is also an innocent unawareness of himself Andre doesn't see when he looks in the mirror that will make your heart break for him and scream your head off cheering for him, just like we did when he was playing. You'll see parts of yourself in him, and parts of him in you, and it'll kick your ass.
Stay tuned Agassi fans, more soon about this riveting book!

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Dec 26, 2009 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Andy

My old editor always said that I should try to write like anyone, it should be J.R. Moehringer. So when this book came out--even though I'm a sub-par tennis player--I was excited. The second piece of information that made me want to read this book was Jara's review: "After finishing this I appreciate Agassi more as a human than a tennis player." That got me really curious.

A couple things that stood out to me after reading this: Agassi loses--a lot. Over and over and over. Yes there are the few...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Adi rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book kept me awake at night. I felt compelled to finish it in 2 days ("straight sets" maybe? - not my fault for the metaphor).
I might as well add that I was surprised to find out that Agassi fundamentally hates tennis and that he was an underachiever - he could have done (much) better. The way his father forced him to train as a little boy and the life he led as a tennis pro were also very interesting to know.

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Feb 11, 2012 Paola rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vite-vissute

Non é che propriamente l'ho letto, no, l'ho divorato, e manco ho fatto indigestione. Scrive bene il ghost writer che non é nemmeno tanto ghost, alla fine del libro c'é il nome e cognome e tanti ringraziamenti dell'Agassi, e non é uno da niente ma uno che ha vinto il Pulitzer... e quindi.

Per chi ama il tennis é una droga sto libro.

L'enfant terrible du tennis raccontato da lui stesso medesimo.

Si certo, certo, é una storia molto americana, il farsi da sé, l'ascesa, la caduta e la risalita, storia d...more Non é che propriamente l'ho letto, no, l'ho divorato, e manco ho fatto indigestione. Scrive bene il ghost writer che non é nemmeno tanto ghost, alla fine del libro c'é il nome e cognome e tanti ringraziamenti dell'Agassi, e non é uno da niente ma uno che ha vinto il Pulitzer... e quindi.

Per chi ama il tennis é una droga sto libro.

L'enfant terrible du tennis raccontato da lui stesso medesimo.

Si certo, certo, é una storia molto americana, il farsi da sé, l'ascesa, la caduta e la risalita, storia di peccato e di redenzione.
Per una come me che l'unico sport che ama é il tennis avendolo praticato anche per un po' (e i miei inizi sono stati una battaglia semiquotidiana con un muro verde con una linea bianca che imitava la rete, e batti e ribatti e batti e ribatti, finché il gerente del tennis club dal rumore della battuta, decise che ero pronta per entrare in un campo vero e provare a fare qualche tiro con dei clienti che non avevano lo sparring partner, magari con il vecchietto che non si muoveva di un centimento mentre io facevo i km con la lingua a penzoloni a rincorrere palle impossibili...) questo libro é una goduria, perché si "sbircia" il dietro le quinte di questi grandi campioni. Poco me ne frega del parrucchino o dell'uso di metanfetamine, o della Brooke e della Steffi, ma i dettagli di una partita, delle grandi partite viste con gli occhi di chi le ha giocate, i giudizi a volte impietosi del rivale, e poi quello che più mi ha colpito é la volontà (masochistica) che ti fa andare avanti a giocare malgrado la tua schiena ululi dal male,
(e mi sono anche riconosciuta nella sua camminata con le punte dei piedi girate all'interno (faccenda per la quale mio marito mi dice ancora adesso dopo una vita passata assieme: "raddrizza quei piedi!") perché anche la mia di schiena fa pietà essendo congenitamente difettata avendo la prima sacrale "anarchica" la quale é diventata una sesta lombare, a quanto pare da vecchietta non rimpicciolirò così tanto, e pure io dormo sul duro e a volte "rotolo" fuori dal letto e a tirarmi in posizione eretta c'é solo la mia forza di volontà, gemiti e santioni, come direbbe Camilleri, in diverse lingue, e dopo 30anni di maltrattamento la mia schiena a volte ulula quando la stresso, ma io la stresso lo stesso altrimenti non potrei lavorare o vivere, non ho mai fatto però iniezioni di cortisone con l'ago di 18 cm direttamente in situ, però ho da iniziare a far lavorare gli addominali se voglio avere meno dolore) malgrado ci siano 40 gradi all'ombra e molli la racchetta e corri per vomitare in una fioriera, malgrado sai che perderai da uno che nemmeno ti arriva ai calzini, malgrado tu odi giocare a tennis da quando avevi 4 anni ma... dio bono! é quello che sai fare meglio di tanti e non solo, per qualcosa come due anni sei stato il Migliore Giocatore al Mondo, faccenda per la quale é di fondamentale importanza capire che te ne devi assumere la responsabilità e prima lo capisci meglio é. Ma si sa che é molto più facile assumersi la responsabilità di ciò che si sbaglia che assumersi la responsabilità di quello che sai fare bene. (e il perché sia così non lo dico ahahahahahah!)
Ci ha messo un po' l'Agassi a capirlo, ci ha lottato contro con tutte le sue forze, qui e là sarei entrata nel libro e lo avrei preso a calci in culo da qui a Timbuctu, ma alla fine e ringraziando gli dei lo ha fatto. Con i risultati che conosciamo.
Grazie a te mio caro Agassi per le grandi partite e le emozioni che mi hai regalato giocando match impossibili e incredibili, per aver fatto scrivere la storia della tua vita, e non da ultimo trovo cosa buona e giusta la costruzione della tua Academy, uno dei modi migliori per spendere un po' dei tuoi milioni e di farli spendere ai tuoi più o meno amici ricconi .
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Jul 10, 2012 Priyanshu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography, favorites

While browsing my next buy, I had stumbled upon this one a number of times, before I finally decided to buy and read it last week. Time and money well spent.
So, what is the book about? First, it is not a story of a flawless man or an impeccable athlete. It is one of a confused, rebellious and an ever evolving man in search of himself, who by the way, plays great tennis. Second, it is also not a blow-by-blow account of tennis matches. But, a diary of his love-hate relationship with tennis; where...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Mircalla64 (free Liu Xiaobo) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook

Open space

il tennis può essere uno sport
o anche una religione
un modo per fare soldi
o anche un modo per dimostrare qualcosa
quello che però il tennis non può essere mai è un motivo
una ragione per perdere la vita, l'identità e tutto quel che ci sarebbe dovuto per diritto di nascita: un Io

Agassi si fa aiutare da uno che la penna la sa usare davvero per raccontare la sua vita abusata
il suo successo amaro perchè mai cercato, un successo che significa una rinuncia al suo vero io
ogni vittoria lo allonta...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Bigsna rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The opportunity to read about a sport star's life from the inside is always a more engaging and involving experience. It shatters the many impressions we carry and makes him/her so much more human.

The opening of the book with the Agassi vs Baghdatis match is brilliant. I immediately wanted to, and did, watch the match on Youtube. It gave me a whole new perspective to watch a match after I knew what was going on in the player's mind.

The book brings out ho...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Anurag Kesarwani rated it 5 of 5 stars

When i picked up this book the name OPEN suggested Andre will discuss about his prolong tennis career, his rivalry with Pete Sampras and many nail biting matches at the 4 grand slams or the OPENS, but from the first page till the end it was more about Agassi's fight with his inner self, his projection to the outer world and how wins through life after numerous failures. The title OPEN actually signifies how with course of time Andre puts his inner feeling out in the open with his near and dear o...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Gotta rated it 5 of 5 stars

Okay, I'm not a big autobiography fan, let alone tennis fan. I simply don't have the patience to sit through a match, not even understand the scoring. Whole tennis is mystery to me, just like golf and cricket.
Than friends suggested me the "Open" (köszi Niki & Zsófi!), and said it's f@ing great. Oh, well, at least I knew who Andre Agassi is, knew some about him, caught some glimpses of his games back then. But still...
And yeah, this book gets you, catches is. And yes, definitely difficult to...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

First of all, let me say I am not a tennis fan. At all. I don't know the terminology, and I have no idea what the rules are. However, I quite liked this book and genuinely didn't mind all the tennis stuff.

For the first half of the book I sort of thought that Andre sounded like such a "guy." But not in a good way if you know what I'm saying. But man, he won me over by the end! Now he seems like a little softie to me and I'm slightly obsessed with googling him. He seems like a good person, and he...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Lorenzo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: american, aaa-my-library, 2012-readings

«Did you know that Agassi is an Iranian surname? It should be pronounced Agassì, with the stress on the last "i"».

No, I didn't know that when I was 12. But I kept that in mind, as you can read.
Now, the same fact that, back in 1994, my friend Amir (owner of an Iranian and final "i" stressed surname himself) told me something on Andre Agassi and I knew who that guy was means something.

One year before our teens, Amir and I were all but into tennis. Not that we didn't care about sports - football, b...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Anca Zinculescu rated it 5 of 5 stars

"The scoreboard says I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say it is what I have found. Over the last twenty-one years I have found loyalty: You have pulled me on the court, and also in life. I have found inspiration: You have willed me to succeed, sometimes even in my lowest moments. And I have found generosity: You have given me your shoulders to stand on, to reach for my dreams - dreams I could have never reached without you. Over the last twenty-one years I have found you, and will t...more

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May 12, 2012 Jegan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is one is surely for all those skeptics who had that doubt on whether he deserved this esteem and the Honey Steffi graff :)

The Autobiography which I longed to read and Im Happy that my wallet was Open for Open.

The moment I started this , I went straight to the days were I used to bunk classes, skip food, Hold my bowels, prorogue almost anything Just to witness the charm this guy was evincing on the court.

The expectation rose within me as I tried to stop envisage my past wid agassi and start...more

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Sep 21, 2010 Ed rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-stars, 2010, memoir, non-fiction, read-in-hardcover, new-author-to-me, tennis

I have a checkered past with Andre Agassi. Having been a fan of pro-tennis since I was a kid, I was intrigued with Agassi when he debuted on the tour (I'll even admit to owning a pair of those denim shorts), but somewhere along the way something went astray and it took to the last couple of years of his career for me to re-warm up to him. Contributing to that personal opinion decline was observing him "behind the scenes" when I dabbled as a tennis writer/photographer for in the mid-/late-1990s,...more I have a checkered past with Andre Agassi. Having been a fan of pro-tennis since I was a kid, I was intrigued with Agassi when he debuted on the tour (I'll even admit to owning a pair of those denim shorts), but somewhere along the way something went astray and it took to the last couple of years of his career for me to re-warm up to him. Contributing to that personal opinion decline was observing him "behind the scenes" when I dabbled as a tennis writer/photographer for in the mid-/late-1990s, which now we know was among his most troubled personal and professional times.

So while I went into this book with a somewhat rehab'd personal opinion of Agassi, by the end of it I found most of my warm and fuzzy feelings about him had come undone (and sadly even wife Steffi Graf also suffers some collateral damage). While I now better understand some of the reasons why Agassi was such a troubled soul, after getting out under the thumb of his father and banking tens of millions the "I hate tennis" mantra gets a bit insincere. During his press tour for this book, I sensed Agassi had somewhat of an epiphany about his life, but I really did not find it in these pages.

He said he wrote this book for his children and also speaks of "The Code of Respect" that each student of his charter school in Vegas commits to memory. But again, after reading page after page of Agassi calling linespeople some very nasty things, consistently petty and often mean-spirited stories about his fellow players, and gleefully courting (ha!) Steffi Graf one month after separating (not yet divorced) from first wife Brooke Shields... and not expressing much, if any, remorse or regret about his actions, other than blanket statements like "I made mistakes" or calling himself a contradiction, is all terribly convenient and left me a bit cold.

Agassi is indeed "open" in this book (though I would argue he does so in a selective manner), and while I can respect his on-court accomplishments and certainly his charitable contributions, in the end I did not find him to be a terribly like-able person. As far as separating the book from the man (is that possible?), while I raced through the book I still have yet to find a tennis memoir that successfully can recount a tennis match (something I struggled with during my years of tennis journalism). I also had high hopes for a more literary quality to it as it was ghostwritten by Pulitzer Prize winner J.R. Moehringer, whose own memoir, The Tender Bar, I so enjoyed but while a step up from some, it is still a fairly straight-up/standard tennis "autobiography."

I know folks are finding this memoir quite inspirational, revelatory, honest, but going into this knowing Agassi's story too well and from many different angles/perspectives, I had to take much of this book with the proverbial grain of salt.(less)

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Jan 22, 2010 Tricia rated it 2 of 5 stars

From the very beginning this book feels like it is honest and open. Sometimes I thought "uh-oh, not sure he should say that". But he did, and I never felt like he was holding back on his true feelings.

Andre seems to have been searching for who he was most of his life. I was happy to see that he was able to find himself and be happy with his life and all the pain, sorrows, heartaches, and the joys, triumphs and love that came with it.

My favorite story is when Stephanie's father meets Andre's fath...more

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May 17, 2010 Polly rated it 5 of 5 stars

I always liked Agassi and this book did not disappoint me. It's interesting to read the back story of some of his greatest wins and losses. I never knew that he wore a rug! I remember watching his last U S Open final against Federer and cheering for him, thinking he might actually do it. I was at Wimbledon and saw his last victory there. And I was at the open when he lost his last match, but over on Louis Armstrong as we all followed the score of his match on Arthur Ashe. It was a fun read.

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Apr 07, 2013 Jeff Kohmstedt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Slightly longer than I would have liked and think necessary, it was definitely an interesting read. Agassi hates tennis, and he has no qualms in saying it, repeatedly. As the story progresses though, you see how that hate changes to love only in that he loves what he can do for others while he's playing tennis. It also provided a lot of background on the why of his career path and its ups and downs. Oh yeah, and Jimmy Connors is a dick.

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Nov 14, 2010 ML rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Choosing JR Moehringer to write his autobiography was Agassi's genius stroke. This is not a 'comfortable' book to read. Agassi's pain and sense of isolation, whether on the court or in his personal life, is constant. Others have recorded their childhood of involuntary servitude to a parents' obsession, but this is the best-written.

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Mar 29, 2013 Deepti rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biographies

The last 200 pages of this book are very engrossing and have kept me from doing anything else. I am not an ardent Tennis fan but this book made me aware of what every player goes through - physically and emotionally to become what they are. Agassi's narration is smooth,engaging and very candid. One striking pattern that I found in his description of the countless matches he played is how vividly he remembered every shot, every move and every thought while playing those shots! His humility shines...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Danica rated it 5 of 5 stars

It was hard to put this one down. It was well written and a very easy read. Andre Agassi has led a very interesting life.

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Mar 27, 2012 Krista rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interesting life story of what he overcame and created.

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Mar 13, 2010 Leigh rated it 5 of 5 stars

reading (or actually listening to) Open was hard work and sometimes I had to take a deep breath before I dug in again. Agassi's story is complicated and frequently painful. It drained my energy to learn about his excruciating relationship with his father, the tremendous physical effort required to be a top tennis star, and the ups and downs of his career and life. But in the end Open was a rewarding and memorable book. and please be sure also to read The Tender Bar: A Memoir, by Agassi's co-auth...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Jack added it

Shelves: biographies

This is a very engaging account of Agassi's life. Agassi writes of his love-hate relationship with tennis, starting with his high pressured childhood with his father pushing him towards tennis success, through his rebellious life on the tennis tour, and ultimately emotional maturity. The book is filled with rich characters, such as Gil, Agassi's physical trainer, closest friend, and surrogate father, and Brad Gilbert, Agassi's no-nonsense coach. Agassi does seem to be very emotionally open and s...more

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May 12, 2013 Ally rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book Open by Andre Agassi published by Knopf is an autobiography by the eight grand slam winning tennis player Andre Agassi.

The Open being the first book written by Agassi is truly amazing. Through out the novel I was reminded of my personal experiences on the court, creating a very personal and relatable feel. This was due to the very descriptive story format the book was written in. It is easy to compare this book to your own personal athletic life style where you insult and speak the tru...more This book Open by Andre Agassi published by Knopf is an autobiography by the eight grand slam winning tennis player Andre Agassi.

The Open being the first book written by Agassi is truly amazing. Through out the novel I was reminded of my personal experiences on the court, creating a very personal and relatable feel. This was due to the very descriptive story format the book was written in. It is easy to compare this book to your own personal athletic life style where you insult and speak the truth which is a nice twist within sports autobiographies.

Agassi begins his story by starting with what could be his last match of his career at the 2006 US Open against Baghdatis. Than traveling back to 8 years old when his father would force him to hit 1000’s of balls a day on their backyard tennis court in Las Vegas. To the boarding school in Flordia, traveling around the world as a pro and ending with his retirement. My favorite part of the book being when Agassi explains winning his first grand slam, “But I don’t feel that Wimbledon has changed me. I feel, in fact, as if I’ve been let in on a dirty little secret: winning changes nothing. Now that I’ve won a slam, I know something that very few people on earth are permitted to know. A win doesn’t feel as good as a loss feels bad, and the good feeling doesn’t last as long as the bad. Not even close.” Than Through out the book the truth behind Agassi’s true feeling about tennis comes out “I hate tennis,” Agassi would write. Through out the book you see the true thoughts and actions behind the denim shorts wearing tennis player.

This book has really enhanced the way I think of the game tennis. Before reading this book I focused on just improving my game, after I have realized it’s a mental game. Andre Agassi went through 12 months where he didn’t win a single match, and if he can do that and still become number 1 than I can lose so many matches and then come back and still have the mental game and the urge to keep trying. One of my biggest problems in my game is not feeling the idea that I already lost if I was defeated in the first set. When I’m down 1 set and lost that set 6-2 or 6-3 even I get this feeling of defeat in my brain and can’t grow the courage to move forward and try to win the next set. Agassi’s book has made me think of tennis in a whole different way, I know have a new love for tennis that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t read this book.

The idea I gained through reading this book is you don’t have to do something just because you are amazing at it. In Andre’s case he did but in a way Andre helps the reader realize his mistakes of not informing his father his true feelings and help you gain your own.

I a doubles player myself enjoyed this book to the very last page. I would recommend this to individuals within a sport novice to advance. it’s a very well written, put together, and understandable book. It will make the reader rethink the way they think about athletics. (less)

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Apr 18, 2013 Steven Comfort rated it 5 of 5 stars

Andre Agassi is so well known that I think this biography will be interesting to people who aren't tennis fans, but if you do enjoying watching pro tennis this is a must read.

The book gives an insider's look at pro tennis (and the path to becoming a pro), and like so many seemingly glamorous professions, it is anything but... From an early age, Agassi struggles to find the motivation to train and keep playing, and to define himself and find meaning in his life. The work that he puts into his gam...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Jean rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: athletes-travellers, memoir-male, power-control, relationship-m-w, relationship-parent-child, subversive-child

A memoir so good I have to bring my long break from "Goodreads" additions to an end!

I did become incredulous not too far into this book that it was far too well laid out and eloquent to be by Agassi alone, regardless of how bright and driven he is. It's not, as J R Moehringer - a very good writer and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist - helped. It becomes obvious too that extensive time and work was spent reviewing videotaped matches of Agassi's, as the level of detail often given on each nuance...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars

A heart warming and inspiring book about life, its challenges, contradictions and rewards. Throughout this entire book I was won over by the language, only to realize at the end that it was not entirely Andre's words. Still, this is very much his life, told in a beautiful and moving way, with intricate details so vividly captured. This is a story of determination, finding meaning and relentlessly pursuing the fairy tale ending. This is a story of mistakes, finding one's true path, and riding the...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Meryn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Andre Agassi’s Open is a unique, eye-opening look into the life of Andre Agassi and the world of professional tennis. It provides a very interesting perspective of fame and fulfillment, success and failure, beating and being beaten. Open follows Agassi’s difficult childhood, extreme fame, and career highs and lows. It shows the true feelings, trials, and tribulations of a man who seemed to have it all, though that was far from the truth.

Andre Agassi never wanted to play tennis. Born to a tennis...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Leonardo Vaghaye rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Il 2013 inizia alla grande con la lettura di "Open" di Andre Agassi. Non che non lo sapessi, anzi; arriva un punto in cui puoi predire che un libro ti piacerà un sacco dal come sei arrivato a conoscere della sua esistenza, dalla sinossi, dall'autore, da quel che se ne dice e dalla copertina. Magari non puoi predirlo con tutti i libri, ma ci sono quelli che sai che ti piaceranno un sacco. Come "Open".
Adoro le opere che parlano di uno sport e sono pensati per essere piacevoli anche per chi non co...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Loy Machedo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loy Machedo’s Book Review – Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

After reading Pete Sampras ‘A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis’ I was pretty skeptical about reading another Tennis Memoir. I didn’t want to go through page after page of ‘I had a match with him and him and him’ and then bore the bejesus out of my life. So Andre Agassi’s book caught the dust of ignorance and time among the many books I had not read. I really was in no mood of getting bored.

Eventually, I decided it...more Loy Machedo’s Book Review – Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

After reading Pete Sampras ‘A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis’ I was pretty skeptical about reading another Tennis Memoir. I didn’t want to go through page after page of ‘I had a match with him and him and him’ and then bore the bejesus out of my life. So Andre Agassi’s book caught the dust of ignorance and time among the many books I had not read. I really was in no mood of getting bored.

Eventually, I decided it was time to complete the book and few days ago, I took the chance.

Compared to other books of retired professionals, Agassi’s book is not self-serving, braggadocio or a reflective memoir of greatness. Instead, it was a slow walk into the Museum of his life, displaying portraits of imperfections, insecurities, inhibitions and inadmissibility of a very normal human being.
The book begins with the 2006 Second Round of the US Open – The match before his final match. And the surprise comes when he shares his intense physical pain of over-worked joints, his intense hatred towards Tennis and his intense struggle to keep himself together. Almost immediately you connect with him as a person who is no longer the so-called-Legendary-Tennis-Player – rather the everyday next door neighbor who goes through the daily grind and is searching for the meaning in the boring routines of life.

His book gracefully takes you from the waves of a 3 year old boy who was forced into the game by his obsessive military-regimented father – who surprisingly gave more importance to Agassi’s excellence to the game than to education. From there, to Bollettien Tennis Camp, his rebellious phase of long hair, ear-rings, colorful clothes, the flamboyant persona, the ‘Image is everything’, his rivalry with Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Michael Chang, his sex-buddy to his first love Brooke Shields to Steffi Graf, his confession on Crystal Meth usage and his blatant lie to the Tennis Body (which honestly I see no big deal as it is not a Performance Enhancing Drug), his friendship with Phil, Perry and Gill Reyes, his charity foundation to finally the closure of his Tennis days – They were all beautifully and intricately woven into the fabric of this autobiography. I think the part I really loved was the honesty with which he shared his jealousy for his opponents like calling Jim Courier a thug, Chang a Jesus-Freak and Connors an asshole. And the best part - the number of times he used the four letter word whenever he was frustrated, angry or upset - As his book was aptly titled – Andre Agassi through this book was ‘Open’.

Overall, given the Outlandish Triumphs, the Glaring Insecurities and Topsy-turvy moments he shared in this book – I found it a very entertaining memoir and by far, a worth-while read to those who lived through a generation knowing there was a legend like Agassi in our midst.

Overall Rating
8.5 out of 10.

Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com | loymachedo.tv
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About Andre Agassi

Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former World No. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game.

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Quotes from Open

“It's no accident, I think, that tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love, the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature. Even the structure of tennis, the way the pieces fit inside one another like Russian nesting dolls, mimics the structure of our days. Points become games become sets become tournaments, and it's all so tightly connected that any point can become the turning point. It reminds me of the way seconds become minutes become hours, and any hour can be our finest. Or darkest. It's our choice.” — 23 people liked it

“There are many ways of getting strong, sometimes talking is the best way.” — 16 people liked it

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