Open: An Autobiography

Written by Andre Agassi

Narrated by Erik Davies

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.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Century

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Nov 9, 2009
• ISBN: 9780739358573

Reviews for Open

[lcmcsr-812737 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was a big Andre Agassi fan throughout his career. Seeing the rise and fall of his career, this book brings into sharp focus the inner demons and conflict that peppered his life. He writes of feelings of loneliness and estrangement in such a clear way that the reader can't help but travel that journey and feel his desperation and indecision. Andre runs the gamut of emotions without understanding the root cause until he is well into adulthood. What a horrible way to navigate life. I appreciate his willingness to articulate the events in such a way that anyone can relate or sympathize with his choices while cheering him on for going though the trials and tribulations to become a better person, husband and father. He demonstrates what digging deep inside you to carve out who you are meant to be is possible no matter where you come from.

[alanna1122 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have seen this book cited for years as many people's favorite celebrity memoir. It is very readable - even for someone like me who has a very loose understanding of tennis and has only casually watched tennis over the years. It is a quick moving read that kept me engaged. It definitely made me more aware and gave me a different understanding of Agassi himself and of how grueling life leading up to and as a competitive tennis player is like.

[briandarvell_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a phenomenal autobiography. I couldn't put the book down and learned a lot from one of the most charismatic of sports stars. Andre doesn't hold back and admits to some of his biggest personal failings in the book. I would recommend this even for people who aren't big tennis fans as there is so much about life and challenging yourself no matter what you're doing. I'm extremely glad to have read this book.

[ohernaes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Grew up with a tennis-obsessed father and a lot of pressure. Became a prodigy, but did not have it easy. Reacted by rebelling against some of the structures, understandably. From the book seems to have calmed down as time passed, but hard to judge only from his own words. Agassi is open about his life, as the title promises, and I enjoyed the book despite not following tennis. A little long for my taste. Recommended.

[juva_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A detailed and extremely intimate record of the life of a sports legend. I didn't go into this expecting much as a lot of celebrity memoirs are pretty shallow. Agassi, however, brings the reader into his life, recounting painful and humiliating memories from his childhood and adolescence. Compelled to play by his overbearing father, Agassi found himself backed into his career path much against his will. Having been allowed to neglect his education, he often felt he had no other choice but to excel at Tennis for simple survival reason.

I'm not a Tennis fan myself, so much of the detailed recounting of tense matches was a bit tedious for me. Still, I learned a lot and was pleasantly surprised by the author's ability to tell a gripping story about his life.

[eye_gee-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Agassi seems to be a thoughtful, sensitive, and sincere guy who was thrust onto the world stage almost against his will. I was a big tennis fan during the years he played and I was fascinated by his descriptions of the mental side of the game. I was not a big fan of his until the end of his career, when he ditched the big hair and on court antics and signed to play for the pure joy of the game (maybe).

[narshkite · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent and compelling memoir. Agassi chose one of the best in the business to co-write. The prose is beautiful, and that makes a huge difference over other famous people memoirs, but Agassi deserves even more praise. The book feels very authentic. Agassi is often a big spoiled child with an enduring need for a posse of paternalistic handlers to deal with every single thing other than playing tennis. But he is also a very real man who yearns for love, acceptance, homage to stay alive. This is outside my typical reading fare, and I was absolutely rewarded for changing it up.

[olegalca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I went in with a preconceived idea that this book was horrible and he was a horrible representative of the sport of tennis but was pleasantly surprised. He's just... honest. Not everything is sunshine and roses. He's not out to hurt anybody - he's very gracious towards his opponents, including Pete Sampras and his love story with Steffi Graf was beautiful to read.

And he likes C.S. Lewis. How can you go wrong with that?

[neale_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great read - especially if you followed tennis during the last 25 years. I didn't realise how many years he played for or how many slams he won. I knew he made a comeback and seemed to a changed person. The book is well written and he is honest about his lies - if that makes sense. Its starts near the end and then re-starts again from the beginning. Some great insights about sport and life - well worth the read.

[madcurrin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I never would have picked this book up if it weren't for several different people's recommendations. I don't follow tennis, or much sport at all, for that matter. But what a great read! Honest, raw and compelling, this is a memoir about Life which happens to have a bit of tennis in it.

[timjones_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book group I'm in chose this as the book group for our next meeting at a meeting I wasn't at: not being a huge tennis fan, I wasn't sure this would be for me, but in fact it's a very interesting study of the effects ruthless parental ambition can have on a young athlete. Andre Agassi's father pushed and pushed him to become a top tennis player - and he did; but the psychological fallout wrecked the younger Agassi's life for many years. The story of how he gradually and painfully overcame this makes for an often moving autobiography - though the descriptions of the tennis matches themselves tend to blur into one. Perhaps that's appropriate.

[lindap69 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had difficulty putting this book down - amazing story, amazing person, one of the greats of my lifetime

[jenneb_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oh, Andre.

[folkeb_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Most people believe that professional athletes live world class lifestyles, and without a doubt love everything about their job, which happens to be the sport they are playing. Not always. “Open,” an autobiography by the tennis star Andre Agassi, definitely gives a unique perspective of an athlete that didn’t necessarily live a role model type lifestyle. It is true that parents sometimes force their children into a sport, but this story takes it to a whole new level. This stunning, yet truthful story is filled with many story lines, including the never-ending determination of an athlete, a hopeful love story with women’s tennis star Steffi Graf, and the tale of a tennis legend. The books’ strengths are how truthful and unique the story is, and how it grabs your attention from the first lines of, “I open my eyes and don’t know where I am or who I am. Not all that unusual - I’ve spent half my life not knowing. Still, this feels different. This confusion is more frightening. More total,” to the very last page. Just when you think things are going well for Andre, another obstacle, such as drug use, is presented in front of him. The only weakness of the book is not explaining the outcomes of some stories, such as his separation from Wendy. The writing style is perfect and the pace keeps you very into Andre’s story. He uses many great descriptive words so it is easy to understand what he was going through. I would definitely recommend this book, especially to any athlete, because it shows you how much dedication and hard work it takes to excel as an athlete, and how your life will be filled with ups and downs. I personally enjoy hearing professional athletes’ stories, and especially how they deal with obstacles every day.

Matt B.

[shavonjones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! He really was Open about his career, his mindset, his personal life. Wonderful story for the tennis fan and for other who just like a good autobiography.

[mariamsultana · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

more like a 3.5i enjoyed most of it because it's written well. by the end though, i got tired of traveling in his tennis circuit life.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tennis star Andre Agassi bares all in his account of his life, from young phenom whose father pushed him to "Hit harder" and asked (or coerced) players to hit with his son, to troubled teen at the Bollettieri Academy to revered veteran of the game.

My father read this soon after it came out, and recommended it to me. Whenever it came up, he'd talk to me about Agassi's father, or what Agassi said about other players - he was not a fan of Connors, for example. The one phrase that kept coming to mind while reading his memoir was "brutal honesty." This is a candid account for sure, as Agassi literally opens up about his struggles and how he comes to terms with who he is. His present-tense narrative with no quotation marks for speech could have been distracting, but instead it made the past events all the more immediate. It's hard to say I enjoyed it, but I found it compelling and would definitely recommend it to sports fans and biography fans alike.

[supermanboidy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When this was recommended to me I was a bit hesitant. I don't read many sports books. I'm a sports fan, but not a tennis fan. I knew of Agassi, but not much. Nonetheless, this book sits as one of my all time favorites. It reads with great honesty, reflection, and excitement. I can't say enough, just a great read.

[mks27 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First, let me say that I am neither a tennis fan nor a tennis player and not all that much of a sports fan.

Gratefully, this did not deter me from picking up Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open. I recommend this book for the tennis fan and non-tennis fan equally. Yes, this book is in part about tennis, the game, the tournaments, and the top players, but primarily it is a story of a confused boy and later, a man, searching not only for his own identity, but for some reason for all the pain and struggles we must face though our lifetime. In the end, I found his answers inspiring and easily relatable.

Agassi’s life is one of extreme contradictions and those contradictions are explained with great clarity in his memoir. He is a gifted tennis player who hates tennis; he is a high school dropout who starts a school for at risk kids. As a child and teen, he hated his home then missed it while he was away and finally returns to it as an adult.

I earlier used the word clarity. This autobiography was not written in the process of finding out who he is and what is important to him, that work had already been done. His life, experiences, mistakes, and successes are laid out clearly. Agassi has looked them up and down and, for the most part, has both them and him figured out.

It is a compelling journey that offers lessons learned and truths discovered that we all can relate to and benefit from, I know I did. As I moved though the book, I found myself stopping to write down a few notes, something unusual for me. I wanted to secure a few grains of wisdom and hard fought for lessons to keep with me always.

[brinnafrieds · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A suprisingly well written and fascinating story of Andre Agassi's life. Great story for tennis fans.

[siri51 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Suprisingingly well written ( found the writer's name in the acknowledgements at the end, shoudl have been given credit on cover). He had a harrowing childhood with obsessive father and passive mother but he managed to 'play on', enduring so much pain when he already had won the slams and made the money that you wonder if he inherited the father's obsession.

[bjk1903_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very detailed and interesting autobiography.

[kayronald · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fabulously - open - revealing about one of the greatest athletes can have so many challenges and failures and rise again to ultimate greatness.

[flexatone_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Open is most successful in its accounts of Agassi's first 18 years, and of his last year of professional tennis. His relationship with the game, with his father, and with his own talents are wildly interesting and worth reading. The middle chunk of the book, though, is a more sprawling and diffuse. This part will please only the most avid fans, as Agassi recounts specific matches, encounters and clashes with two generations of players.

[mahallett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

easy to read, good reader, interesting info. you want to wish him good luck with his millions and beautiful accomplished wife and 2 beautiful children.!!!

[gshuk_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Andre Agassi confesses all with some very personal and suprising revelations. It surprised me that someone so gifted could hate tennis so much. For anyone who followed Andre this will help them better understand why he behaved the way he did.

[jdy_26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Agassi describes his life in tennis vividly in his autobiography. Growing up playing tennis, and watching many matches of Agassi vs. Sampras, it's interesting to see his side of things. From the hate for the game, the hair piece, his relationship with Brooke Shields, his beautiful family and relationship with Stefanie Graf... all very interesting and great glimpses into his life. More respect for him now that he wrote the book and shared his feelings, than the respect (which was great) I had for him when he was playing tennis regularly. A great, interesting, and motivating read.

[stuster · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a sensational memoir! This book kept me awake for hours with its gripping tale of Agassi's path to manhood and wisdom. His journey was played out on the tennis court, but the lessons can be applied universally to all men as we grow up, seeking our identity and discovering ourselves and the world.

The story was particularly poignant for me, as it tracked the period in my life during which I began following tennis as a boy; an interest which grew quickly into a great passion. The quality of writing is outstanding, with Agassi's Pulitzer Prize-winning ghostwriter, J.R. Moehringer, taking the reader so close to the action, the emotion, the ups and downs, that I felt like I was there, re-living every moment. And for many of those moments I was there, up late at night through the 1990s and early 2000s, glued to the TV watching this incredible talent win and lose.

I learned that my own impression of the young Agassi (ostentatious, arrogant, disrespectful) was completely wrong. Of course it was: how can we know someone by seeing them on TV? He was a precocious talent finding his way in a confusing world, not trying to "be" anything other than himself.

The book ends with the wonderful tale of his joy in finding lifelong love and subsequent fatherhood: the most amazing experiences of all, to which new fathers (and likely old ones as well) will strongly relate.

This is a magnificent tale which must surely rank as one of the great sporting memoirs.

[pat1eiu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I should start out by saying i am an Agassi fan. I loved watching tennis during the period he played and have not watched much since his retirement. Having said that, i thought this book was amazing. I wished when he retired that he would go on playing a bit longer so i could keep watching him. I felt the same about this book, i wanted his career to be longer so the book would be. Easily one of the top celebrity autobiographies of all time.

[bobbieharv · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Though I'm not usually into celebrity autobiographies or sports memoirs, I wanted to read this because JR Moehringer, who wrote one of the best memoirs I've read, wrote it (though he insisted, to his credit, that Agassi be the sole author). And I wasn't disappointed - it was extremely well done. Just a few too many play by plays, but very open and compelling.