"Open" by Andre Agassi: Far from Perfect, but a Clean Winner

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Rajat Jain
Rajat Jain
Rajat Jain

Analyst

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Analyst Written on November 13, 2009
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Why, Andre? Why now?

These questions have been haunting the tennis world—players and fans,
alike—ever since the revelation about the former world No. 1 Andre
Agassi's indulgence in drugs at the lowest point of his career.

Various opinions were formed, some offensive, some defensive...but
each one with a big tint of surprise. And why would one not be
surprised when one of the most prolific tennis players of the history,
a role model for youngsters, a media darling, and a fan-favorite had
the courage to openly admit his grave mistake?

The opinions can only said to be premature, and lacked the bigger
picture which was not revealed—at least outside of the special tennis
contingents—till Nov. 9. The wait was long right from the time when I
pre-ordered this book from Amazon on Oct. 26. They did a fabulous job,
as I received the book exactly on its release date, and, due to
necessary commitments, it took me four days to complete one of the
finest pieces of sporting autobiographies.

And after finishing the last word of the 386th page, one couldn't help
but realize that the crystal meth story, which had grabbed more
headlines than Serena Williams ending the year as No. 1, was only a
tip of the iceberg. The huge iceberg, where this small tip was as
insignificant to ignore as it was important to include.

For this book is named Open, where he fluidly laid out his whole life—
a struggled childhood, insecure adolescence, the troubled early
adulthood, and finally his inspiring redemption—and his way of paying
back to society.

He has revealed his facts in the style he always does—a candid way.
Informal conversations are dominant in this book, which makes a reader
feel more connected with this champion than they may have ever done
while incessantly rooting for him at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Agassi knows who the most important people in his life are, and he
reserves ample space for each and every one of them. His early
relationship with his father is presented in a resentful way; so were
his experiences at the Mecca of tennis education—Nick Bollettieri
Academy.

Open is all about belief. It was vividly depicted through two strong-
minded personalities in this book. His trainer, Gil Reyes, alongside
his coach, Brad Gilbert, have masterly believed in his abilities right
since the beginning. Their "belief" and support can only be regarded
as sole reason for his game statesmanship as we know it.

The section about his time with his former wife Brooke Shields was
surprisingly candid, given the way things ended between them. The
description of their first meeting, their growing relationship, and
the ultimate end was moving. But it was really a central part of the
book, as it really showed how great Steffi Graf is—as his life
companion.

Agassi's special relationship with Graf is well documented, and his
attention to every possible detail was romantic. It is easily visible
by the way his wife has been mentioned as "Steffi" in the earlier part
of the book, while as "Stephanie" from the time when he met her, the
way she likes her name to be said. This story may have taken fewer
pages than the one with Brooke Shields, but it certainly conveyed
volumes more than the latter.

Of course, this book is far from perfect. Even after taking aside the
unfortunate crystal meth incident, there were many stories which could
have been avoided. His story about the French Open '90 final, his
history with Boris Becker, and some little secrets between Pete
Sampras and himself. He even subtly hinted that he considers himself
better than his curly haired rival, that his one special Slam victory
at Paris is more important than those extra six that Pete achieved.

His experiences with media and sportswriters were never good, which we
now know were in blasphemy throughout the 20 years—including his
redemption after '99—he played tennis.

So were his followers—not fans—who followed him for the wrong reasons.

Yet, this book would have felt incomplete without these revelations.
As Brad Gilbert said to Agassi in their first meeting—striving for
perfection will not win you a match. Being better than the guy across
the net on that particular day will.

This book does not try to be perfect. This book tries to be true to
its title—Open.

And it sure wins.

Source:http://bleacherreport.com/articles/289575-open-by-andre-agassi-
far-from-perfect-but-a-clean-winner