Open: An Autobiography

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars | 22,685 ratings

Price: 21.66

Last update: 01-10-2025


Top reviews from the United States

jmcneill
5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting, Worthy and "Open"
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2013
Agassi was always an enigma during his career. Seemingly brilliant tennis player, under-acheiver, tortured soul and sex symbol rolled into one. As he progressed in his career, he seemed to grow up before our eyes. The book captures all of these dimensions of his life to perfection...and more.

The progression of his life throughout the book was fast-paced, fascinating and, most importantly, honest and real. Though a play on words, the title of the book is perfect. Rare is a self-portrayal as critical and incisive. Andre exposes events devoid of any hint of the self-importance one would normally expect from a celebrity of his stature. In a word, his presentation of his life is humble.

The scenes are described in stunning color, emotion and presented startlingly clear mental images. He also captures many of the scenes with hilarity (the scene when Andre's father meets Stephanie's father is worth the price of the book). Both haircut scenes (his and his son's later in the book) were comical.

Perhaps most interesting to many is his incredible portrayal of the mentally and physically grueling nature of the tour. I got the feel of almost actually being there when he describes the actual games. His explanation of the Sampras rivalry was priceless. His descriptions and views on other players, particularly Connors, like most of the book, gives the sense of being there. He seemed fair in his assessments and, like his tennis game, stayed just inside the line. The relationship with Shields was presented clearly without being critical. One gets no sense that she was at fault for the divorce or a bad person, generally. A difficult line to walk for anyone in such circumstances, but he managed it artfully. The description of his run-in with meth could not have been more forthcoming and, to me, was courageous given the hysteria surrounding the issue in America.

I was sometimes surprised by the almost perfect diction, grammer and prose used in some scenes given the absence of a co-writer. After all, although Andre comes across as intelligent in television interviews, he has only a self-proclaimed 9th grade education. Regardless, he finally fessed up at the end that one of the better writers in this genre assisted. This, of course, is to be expected and does nothing to detract from the genuineness of the book.

My only complaint is that the book was not longer and needed more explanation for why he continually reminded the reader of his paradoxical "hate" for tennis. The words "hate tennis" appear 17 times in the book. Generally, it's just another person who he is letting in on his dirty little secret. I think 2 or 3 times as a shock to the reader would have sufficed. It seems his writing helper could have steered him clear of this overuse. Overall, thIs was a minor nuisance and has the nominal value of reminding the reader of his emotions at the time.

The real question was why he hates tennis. The answer to the question seems apparent in that he was forced to play from an early age and into his his early teens. His father was cast in an unfavorable light as the slave master, but it is apparent that he has now moved beyond that difficulty. Anyone generally hates something that is forced upon them. Regardless, it is unfortunate that he didn't explore the why a little deeper.

Regardless, this is one of those reads that you just want to go on because it's so well done. Some might be put off by the rather lengthy descriptions of the games, but for me, reliving some of those moments in such dramatic detail was awesome, particularly since he describes his emotions in the moment so perfectly.

I believe this is one of the more unique, well-written and inspirational books of its kind. It's an absolute must read for Agassi and sports fans, generally. Beyond that, almost anyone should read this as a testament to the ability to overcome the demons in one's soul and life difficulties generally.

Agassi presents such an honest portrayal that my estimation of him as a person increased immeasurably. Finally, the success of his foundation and work on his charter school as described were inspirational. I was never a huge Agassi fan, but I am now.
K. Kopertyñski
5.0 out of 5 stars What can you see when it's Open?
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2009
I won't hide it. I've been a lifelong fan of Andre Agassi. I was waiting for this book to be published since Andre retired in 2006. Not expecting much, I just wanted to have a chance to look at the journey from his perspective. Only by playing tennis, he was the most influential person to my life from ones who I've never met in person. I thought I knew Andre. I was wrong. I only knew Andre Agassi - the great tennis player, after reading this book I can say I know Andre Agassi - the great man.

I live far away from the States. I was waiting long for this book to arrive. In a mean time I read many reviews, excerpts, comments. Too many. But I just had to. It was previously written here what this book is about. I will not try to make a better description as I don't have skills to do that. I would just like to share with you what I learned from this book and how powerful it is.

One thing that makes the book special is the fact that it is written in a present tense. This is a powerful move. Obviously it is not done without a reason. What I think, Andre wants us not only to feel the story better, but he also doesn't try to make it just the memoir of the past but rather shows what he actually thought in those particular moments of his life. It is written in a way that when there are 70's you can hear the voice of a child, in the 80's the voice of teenager and later you hear the voice of mature adult. But still all the time you hear the voice of the same person, Andre.

Andre said "I didn't transform, I formed". It's unbelievable how for so many years he was misunderstood by media and partly as a result of that by us. But Andre shows that even though he might have been perceived as special, different, star-status, high-life person, his life has not been as much different from average people's lives like us. It's about having choices and not having them, about making good and bad decisions, about promises which we all make and fail to keep, about weaknesses, about ups and downs, about duties, responsibilities and dedication, about being a son and being a father, being a husband and being a wife, about the power of friendships, about love. Aren't these, the issues that all of us struggle with in our lives? And who of us wouldn't like to be a superstar, the "number one"? In paradox Andre wanted to be rather like us - the "average one". What we can learn now is that one can be more special being an "average" than being a "special". These are our actions and abilities to give to others that define us.

Although the story rolls around tennis, Andre rarely boasts about his talent and his great matches. He doesn't talk much about the moments when he came up on top. Even in some of his greatest victories he defends his opponents because of various reasons. It even seems that he talks more about his painful losses than great triumphs. Andre's fans may feel disappointed in this modesty. The point however is, that this is not tennis that is most important here. What matters most are his relations with people who he admires and truly loves. And these are his friends and his second wife. Haven't you ever found out that at the hard times, there are only your closests who let you "stand on their shoulders"? Andre makes us remember that.

The book is almost 400 pages long, but many stories and matches are described quickly without explication. Some may be disappointed. But this journey is so wealth that I doubt one thousand of pages would be enough. On the other hand it gives the story a great pace and that absorbs, you can't put it down. I don't think it could've been done better. And isn't it just how the life goes? Week by week, month by month, year by year. Fast, without stopping, without much time to think or look back. In this book you can just feel it. Feel the story of beautiful real life.

You can find more than I found. No doubt. I will also look for more. I'm sure there is more in this book. This story is for those who love tennis but also for those who look for answers in their lives. For people who try to find their places in the world. But also for those who just want to have a good read. For those who want to cry and who want to laugh. This book is really what he wanted it to be - a powerful book. Andre Agassi gives us a chance to learn on his example, his life. The life that hasn't been perfect. The life with struggles and mistakes. But also the life that could've gone different ways, but eventually found the right path. He knows that the only way to make it a powerful and inspirational story was to make it true, honest, to make it "Open". Like for many others, Andre gives us opportunity, and it is our "choice" if we want to take that with us.

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