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Open: An Autobiography
 
 

Open: An Autobiography [Kindle Edition]

Andre Agassi
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (155 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Review

‘Engaging, thrilling…a superbly written book’
–Michael Atherton, The Times

‘Stunningly good’
–Lynne Truss, The Times

‘Honest in a way that such books seldom are . . . An uncommonly well-written sports memoir.’
-Charles McGrath, The New York Times

‘Agassi weaves a fascinating tale of professional tennis and personal adversity . . . His tale shows that success is measured both on and off the court.’
–Doree Shafrir, New York Post

‘An ace autobiography’
–London Lite

Review

'the most revealing, literate and toes-stompingly honest sports autobiography in history. It is the story of a flawed man who sees everybody's imperfections, but none more than his own.' Rick Reilly, veteran American sports writer, on ESPN.com 'An ace autobiography' ***** London Lite

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 614 KB
  • Print Length: 320 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins (9 Nov 2009)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B002VYJYR8
  • Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (155 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #3,772 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
99 of 103 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read 11 Nov 2009
Format:Hardcover
We have all read the press and watched the news; the drug allegations, the "I hate tennis". Tennis fans aren't quite sure whether they should feel cheated for all the love and support they have given Andre, to me the book set things straight.

Most of us look back at chapters of our lives and can identify with particularly unhappy periods. Andre kicks off the book with what was going through his head with the match against Baghdatis in the 2006 US Open. It is a blow by blow account of key parts of the match and a thought provoking glimpse into the mind and heart of a tennis player. He then goes straight into his childhood, the discomfort and unhappiness of being the child prodigy son of an obsessive father. There are weirdly honest stories - his grandmother tried to breastfeed him, very disturbing but a revelation of a dysfunctional upbringing. What seems to carry Andre through his childhood are friendships with his brother Phil and Perry who later becomes his manager. The importance of the childhood friendships are critical and from the way they are explained it is easy to understand why these friends are crucial figures for Andre.

The critical friendship is that of his mentor/guide/life coach/surrogate father Gill Reyes. Andre is taken under his wing and treated with the love and respect a father should treat his son, you sense through the stories in the book that now they have met each other neither could really exist happily without the other. His marriage with Brooke Shields is dealt with candidly, many will buy this book to find out what celebrities do behind closed doors. Whereas I did think Brooke appeared superficial from some of the things mentioned here, I think it merely shows how fame affects people differently. It appears that fame as a child makes people so perception orientated that perceptions are more important than anything else - who can judge the pressures these guys live through? Perfectly understandable in my opinion.

The drugs issue is dealt with here but only for a few pages in the book. The very weird thing is it doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Like most fans I was shocked and somewhat critical of the damage to his sport. But, I could understand after reading the book how stupid mistakes can be made. Off the book for a second truth is he wouldn't have got the endorsements for 10's of millions had he been suspended, or there would have been a clause in his existing deals that he would have broken had the allegations come out. However, reading the book and seeing what has been done with the money I can't help but feel it was better for everyone that nothing came out at the time.

Andre talks about his attraction to Stefanie from many years back, the courting process is just the same as you or I. We all have been through that 'has the phone just rung?' depression when expecting a call from someone we are interested in. It does feel almost story like the way they end up together, but we all have a story like this just not in the press.

Players are mentioned here all the time, the interesting one for me was Becker 'B.B. Socrates' they call him because he 'tries to appear intellectual but is just an overgrown farmboy', this is going to do nothing for Becker's ego. The rivalry with Becker seems more important than that with Sampras - who would have thought?

Another of those important times for Andre was a meeting with Mandela, a truly humbling experience for anyone. This times perfectly with the starting of his Charter school and I presume was a defining moment for him.

Overall, hey I got the book yesterday and I read 325 pages the first day this should tell you all you need to know. I felt sorry for Andre with his childhood but towards the end I understood how his father really wanted the best for everyone. Andre is surprisingly influenced by anyone he trusts - guided more by his heart than his head, he appears to live life to please for much of the book which is pretty much the way a child acts. His first marriage is what everyone else wants to see but he is developing on another level through his interactions with his trainer Gil, the goalposts are always changing as he tries understands what he wants from life. His 'hate' of tennis develops into an appreciation and respect. Throughout the book he seems to treat tennis as work, the only thing he is qualified to do. When judging his 'I hate tennis' just bear in the halo of your mind how many of us get up in the morning burning and bustling to go to our jobs - these guys are human too.

When you read this book you will see parallels between what you go through in life with what a celebrity goes through but you go through it perhaps without the press. It is incredibly well written, so well written in fact that most will not credit Andre for the writing. This is what it says it is, an autobiography not just a tennis manual. This was totally not what I was expecting, a literary masterpiece from a tennis player? A must buy for any tennis fan and a perfect Christmas present. Enjoy!
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Image Is Everything 13 Nov 2009
By prisrob TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
Andre Agassi has written a 'tell-all' book about his life in tennis. And, it turns out, he hated tennis. That was a bigger shocker to me than the salacious fact that he was on 'crystal meth' for a year or so. J.R. Moehringer, the author of 'A Tender Bar' and a Pulitzer Prize winner for his writing was a co-author of this autobiography. Andre loved Moehringer's writing in 'The Tender Bar', and he is correct, the man's writing and the book are excellent. This book, too, is very well written and is an exceptional read.

Andre tells us that he started playing tennis at the age of 3 and by the age of 5 he was showing an aptitude for the game. He was pushed by his father-an obsessive man who pushed his son too far and too much. In fact his father felt that education was not necessary and a hindrance to his tennis practice. Andre could never tell his father how much he hated the game because it was Andre's responsibility to help his family, and that is what he did. He left school in the ninth grade, something that has bothered him his entire career. His goal was to achieve in tennis. He was enrolled in the Bollettien tennis camp, but it felt more like a prison than a camp. The academy, in Agassi's words, was "Lord of the Flies with forehands." In retaliation Andre started wearing earrings, grew his hair long and wore loud clothes. Thus his reputation was born. As his career started to flourish, Andre ,tried to keep it all together. He was known as the flamboyant player, the real player. He played the best tennis players in the world, and he was the best. He had an eye for the ball, and the 'tell' of players when they were about to hit the big one.

Andre Agassi talks about his rivals, the ones who were boring, the ones who kept it all together and the the real players; Pete Sampras, Boris Becker and Jimmy Connors The book is at its best when the game of tennis is being discussed. Each play during the tournaments and how he figured out how to win. He talks of his marriage to Brooke Shields, he never really wanted to be married, just like he never really liked to play tennis. His crystal meth years, the spiel he gave the Tennis Association when he tested positive for drugs. He finally met and married Steffi Graf and found the happiness that had so long eluded him.
He has built a life and a foundation that sponsors a charter school. He gave the first graduation speech and wowed the crowd. A ninth grade drop-out he has achieved success and fame. He has found his life and he has become Open. For anyone who loves tennis, this is a book that will be a fascinating look at the life of a giant in the tennis world and told in words that best describes him. He finally lives down his famous words 'Image Is Everything'.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 11-09-09
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it & struggled to put it down 4 Dec 2009
By Lumpster VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
I read a lot of sports biogs and this one stands right up there with the best ever - Lance Armstrong's "It's Not About The Bike" - in my opinion. The book got a lot of publicity on the back of Agassi's confessions of drug taking but it really is so much more than that. It is a story of a boy forced to live the ambitions of his father, a childhood dominated by tennis, Agassi's attempts at rebellion, his emergence as a world class tennis player and then subsequent injuries, falls and comebacks. Amid all of this there is huge honesty about friends, family, relationships and himself as a man with frequent twists and turns along the way. I've always likes Andre Agassi but this book shows what a great, generous, fighter he is, with a huge personality in a sport so starved of real characters. I didn't want the book to end but as I put it down, it was fantastic to reflect that by the end of his career, he had finally learnt to love the game he had spent so long hating plus had met his soul mate, Steffi Graf, with whom he genuinely seems so happy and so content. This book comes highly recommended, even if you don't have much of an interest in tennis. Enjoy!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
I really enjoyed reading Andre's story, especially about his hatred of tennis, because of the bullying, by his father. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Lone Ranger
5.0 out of 5 stars Agassi perfection
Perfectly written book very impressive story frankly written.. I loved it.....read the whole book in 3 days..one of the best books I've ever read..congratultions
Published 19 days ago by CAN SAFAK UZSOY
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic and I'm not a tennis fan!
What a fantastic read - wonderful would highly recommend - even if you are not a tennis fan - great story
Published 27 days ago by G. Lomax
4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable
This was a book club choice and I loved it, it was very well written and an interesting insight into the life of a professional sports person.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs A E Blandford anne blandford
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and well written
I didn't expect much from this book, but I love the sport and have grown up during Agassi's time in tennis. Read more
Published 1 month ago by bluemoon
4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!!
Amazing read!!
Agassi is like no other. His story is incredible and it is great to find out who the real personality is behind the tennis superstar. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Marie Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
I don't usually read sports autobiographies, but have always had a soft spot for Agassi. A gripping and insightful read, with points of hilarity, I nearly keeled over at the story... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Oonaboona
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
A well written and interesting book. So much more than just tennis, showing a complex family background which moulded the man.
Published 3 months ago by Frances Baldwin
5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic read agassi was always a fantastic entertainer, and appears...
great book, id reccommend it to any avid fan of agassi even if he has now retired it was a hard slog for him his father appeared obsessed with his sons future
Published 3 months ago by Carol Dixon
5.0 out of 5 stars A Grand Slam of a Book
Open is the name of Andre's book, and very open he is in the telling of his story. Some of the reviewers have told some of his secrets, but what I like are the huge parts he... Read more
Published 3 months ago by John
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