Synopsis
When Andre Agassi burst onto the tennis scene in the late 1980s, with his brash attitude, neon-colored shorts, and that ragged mane of hair, many followers of the notoriously conservative sport felt sure that the kid from Las Vegas lacked the determination and discipline needed to become a champion. More than 20 years later, Agassi retired as one of the greatest champions in tennis history, and the only man ever to complete a career "Golden Slam" (winning all four Grand Slam events plus an Olympic Gold Medal). Perhaps more importantly, with his audacity and charisma both on and off the court, he was one of the primary reasons for the sport's resurgence in popularity during the 1990s. Agassi lets his vibrant personality shine in this remarkable memoir, as he charts the genesis of his rebellious image and recalls the highlights and lowlights of his career with equal candor. Along with providing amazing insights on his playing career, Agassi also documents his high-profile romances with Barbara Streisand, Brooke Shields, and his current wife, fellow tennis great Steffi Graf. Selected by the New York Times Book Review as a Notable Book of 2009.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2009-11-09 |
| Size | | Length: | 385 pages | | Height: | 10.0 in | | Width: | 6.8 in | | Thickness: | 1.5 in | | Weight: | 24.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
A candid memoir by the tennis champion includes coverage of his Grand Slam wins, establishment of a charitable foundation for underprivileged children and marriage to Stefanie Graf.
Industry Reviews
"Welcome to Mr. Agassi's world. As described in OPEN it is lively but narrow, since Mr. Agassi's curiosity does not extend far beyond tennis, more tennis, the misery of tennis, the way sportswriters misunderstand tennis and the irritating celebrity that tennis stardom confers....[W]hat exactly keeps OPEN going? Somebody on the memoir team has great gifts for heart-tugging drama."
(11/08/2009)
"[I]t's both astonishing and a pleasure to report that Andre Agassi...has produced an honest, substantive, insightful autobiography. True to the genre of jock hagiography, it has its share of stock footage -- total recall of famous matches, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat and an upbeat ending. But the bulk of this extraordinary book vividly recounts a lost childhood, a Dickensian adolescence and a chaotic struggle in adulthood to establish an identity that doesn't depend on alcohol, drugs or the machinations of PR."
(11/08/2009)
"By the time Agassi's hopeful ending arrives, not only has he bared his soul like few professional athletes ever have, he's done it with a flair and force that most professional writers can't even pull off."
(11/13/2009)
"OPEN is one of the most passionately anti-sports books ever written by a superstar athlete--bracingly devoid of triumphalist homily and star-spangled gratitude....[It] is not just a first-rate sports memoir, but a genuine bildungsroman, darkly funny yet also anguished and soulful....[H]ard-won self-knowledge irradiates almost every page..."
(11/22/2009)
"OPEN is not your typical jock-autobio fare. This literate and absorbing book is, as the title baldly states, Agassi's confessional, a wrenching chronicle of his lifelong search for identity and serenity, on and off the court."
(11/21/2009)
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