Dan's Reviews > Open

This is possibly the best sports book I’ve ever read! I was riveted by this book. I am not a huge tennis fan per se but I am familiar with most all of the competitors in this book. As far as Grand Slam victories go Andre Agassi ranks 9th place all time for men with 8 victories. Since his championships were spread out over a long career it makes for an evenly spaced autobiography. Lots of ups and downs in between.

This autobiography at its core isn’t really all about sports but rather the human angle. And tennis is more psychological than most sports. The book addresses the intense competition, psychology, sacrifice, fame and relationships. It is a drama but done very expertly. I loved how Andre’s story is written entirely in the present tense which gives it immediacy.

There is a stellar job covering Andre’s childhood with a heavy emphasis on his psycho dad, then Andre’s time away at the Tennis Academy in Florida, then his early rebellious career, then his marriage to Brooke Shields, a rough couple of years of losing in the mid career and then a strong finish to his career and marriage to tennis great Steffi Graf.

Agassi’s ghost writer was J.R. Moehringer who won a Pulitzer as a journalist and has written numerous non-fiction and fiction books.

5 stars. Highly recommended.