Product Description

He is one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court -- but from early childhood Andre Agassi hated the game.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1570 in Books
• Published on: 2010-08-10
• Released on: 2010-08-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Features

• New
• Mint Condition
• Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon
• Guaranteed packaging
• No quibbles returns

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

From the Publisher
"No one ever asked me if I wanted to play tennis," Agassi writes, "let alone make it my life." In OPEN, he recalls for the first time a childhood without choices. Forced to embrace tennis, banished to a brutal tennis camp while still in grade school, catapulted to fame while still in his teens, Agassi grew up feeling isolated, alienated, detached. In OPEN he tells how he reconnected, how he overcame his fears, fought through his loneliness, found strength and purpose in the decision to devote his life to others-and in the love of one extraordinary woman.

Agassi writes with uncommon candor about his father, his family, his best friends and first loves. He recounts the intimate details of his doomed marriage to Brooke Shields. He describes the grind of championship tennis, the physical toll and greater mental toll. He recalls his most painful moments in the arena-humiliating defeats, career-threatening injuries, ridicule from fans and media-but celebrates the maturity to which they all led. He also puts his fellow players, including legendary greats, under the microscope of his astounding memory. With precision and grace he recalls their quirks, gifts, foibles, and the demons with which they often struggled.

About the Author

Andre Agassi played tennis professionally from 1986 to 2006. Often ranked number one, he captured eight Grand Slam singles championships, tying him for seventh on the all-time list, and he's the only man to win a career 'Golden Slam' - all four Grand Slam singles titles plus the Olympic gold medal. He also compiled one of the best records ever by an American in the Davis Cup. As founder of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, he has raised more than $85 million for the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, an acclaimed K-12 charter school for underprivileged children in his hometown, Las Vegas. He lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Stefanie Graf, and their two children.