Andre Agassi

Nunca he sido chica del Tennis, pero vamos, que en mi generación, todas estábamos medio enamoradas del chico malo del deporte Blanco, el rebelde del Tennis.
No cabe duda que no todo lo que brilla es oro y no todo es lo que parece.
Antes de leer esta autobiografía era fan de Andre Agassi, por su tennis, por el deporte, ahora, soy fanatica de él como persona, como ser humano.
Hay que tener un par muy bien puestos para escribir algo tan honesto, para exponerte al mundo de esa manera. Es dar show more vueltas en el aire y caer plantado y con ovaciones.
Un libro extraordinario de una persona extraordinaria, un hombre que nunca se sintió de esa manera pero que siempre lo ha sido.
Muy recomendable, un libro que les gustará a todos en independencia de si son o no fanáticos de ese deporte o si les gusta o no leer biografías, este libro va mas allá de todo lo preconcebido, un regalo de alguien excepcional, por lo normal que resulta, por lo trágico, divertido, surrealista, honesto y sentimental. show less

What a sensational memoir! This book kept me awake for hours with its gripping tale of Agassi's path to manhood and wisdom. His journey was played out on the tennis court, but the lessons can be applied universally to all men as we grow up, seeking our identity and discovering ourselves and the world.

The story was particularly poignant for me, as it tracked the period in my life during which I began following tennis as a boy; an interest which grew quickly into a great passion. The quality show more of writing is outstanding, with Agassi's Pulitzer Prize-winning ghostwriter, J.R. Moehringer, taking the reader so close to the action, the emotion, the ups and downs, that I felt like I was there, re-living every moment. And for many of those moments I was there, up late at night through the 1990s and early 2000s, glued to the TV watching this incredible talent win and lose.

I learned that my own impression of the young Agassi (ostentatious, arrogant, disrespectful) was completely wrong. Of course it was: how can we know someone by seeing them on TV? He was a precocious talent finding his way in a confusing world, not trying to "be" anything other than himself.

The book ends with the wonderful tale of his joy in finding lifelong love and subsequent fatherhood: the most amazing experiences of all, to which new fathers (and likely old ones as well) will strongly relate.

This is a magnificent tale which must surely rank as one of the great sporting memoirs. show less

I've been wanting to read this autobiography for years, and it didn't disappoint. I'm not a big sports fan, and not at all a tennis follower, save for one fleeting summer. It was 1992, I was finishing off my first year at university, and my flatmates and I were all glued to a little portable TV set watching Agassi breaking all the rules at Wimbledon with his crazy hair and earrings. Of course the fact that half the crazy hair was a wig was unbeknown to us at the time - that summer he was show more just uber cool (and seriously cute).

Before any gents reading this review turn off completely, cuteness aside this is an amazing book. More biography than autobiography as Agassi's main input was recounting his life to a ghost writer's tape recorder, but that's neither here nor there. Whether you like tennis or have minimal interest in it, this is an immense read, less about the sport and more about one man's struggle to find himself and to lose his demons.

From Andre's birth his father, an Iranian immigrant, had one goal in life - to make his son the number one tennis player in the world. He had no tennis background of his own (he was an amateur boxer in Iran), but was resolutely fixated on this path for his child. He moved out into the desert of Las Vegas so he could afford a plot with a yard big enough to build a tennis court, and from the outset removed the right of choice from the his son. Whether he enjoyed it or not (and he didn't), he was going to be out hitting 2,500 balls every day from the age of six.

By the time he was turned pro in his teens, after several miserable years when he was shipped off by his father to live in a tennis academy in Florida, he was an unhappy, rebellious tennis prodigy who hated rules and hated the sport more. Despite his successes and grand slam wins, throughout his 20 years of professional playing he continued to struggle with his hatred for his sport, or moreover his hatred of a life that he was not in control of.

This book is very cleverly written in that although there is the backdrop of his great tennis successes and failures, the tennis matches are covered just enough to frame the scene without become too tedious. Moreover they form the backdrop of a fascinating life story filled with larger than life characters and a myriad of personal battles. There is the sadness of his relationship with his father who fails to ever emotionally connect with the child who is living out his dreams for him, the heartache of a marriage with a wife whose life is just too different from his (Brooke Shields), the unbreakable bond with his trainer Gil throughout his career, a giant of a man who loves him like a son, his unwavering friendships with his old pals from Vegas (including an old school friend who leads him to crystal meth), his loyal coach Brad who works tirelessly to rebuild him, and ultimately his path to loving life and tennis through his new love Steffi Graff and a transformation to choice.

I'm sure behind the stories of many great athletes are similar tales of tiger parents who push their children from the moment they emerge from the womb. Agassi is full of contradictions, which is what makes his book so engaging - despite his personal psychological conflicts with the game, he went on to have one of the longest tennis careers and was one of the oldest grand slam winners. An ultimate story of triumph, I had tears in my eyes by the end.

4.5 stars - game, set and match. show less

I was a big Andre Agassi fan throughout his career. Seeing the rise and fall of his career, this book brings into sharp focus the inner demons and conflict that peppered his life. He writes of feelings of loneliness and estrangement in such a clear way that the reader can't help but travel that journey and feel his desperation and indecision. Andre runs the gamut of emotions without understanding the root cause until he is well into adulthood. What a horrible way to navigate life. I show more appreciate his willingness to articulate the events in such a way that anyone can relate or sympathize with his choices while cheering him on for going though the trials and tribulations to become a better person, husband and father. He demonstrates what digging deep inside you to carve out who you are meant to be is possible no matter where you come from. show less