Review Of Open, By Andre Agassi

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Review of Open, by Andre Agassi

Having played tennis for about thirty years, Andre Agassi was recognized and much

loved for his attraction in the game of tennis. In the game of tennis, Agassi outperformed others

in attracting attention and this began in the early 1980s when he was still a teenager. He was

flamboyant, consistent, and compact with waxing great reflexes. Three years to his retirement

from tennis, Agassi’s great accomplishments are almost erased by publications revealed from his

autobiography, Open for which he admits. Apart from being a tennis player for several years, it

is also good to remember the fact that Agassi got formal education although not fully. This is the

reason Agassi found it easy writing his autobiography; Open. In Open, Andre touches on a

number of issues, key of which are integrity, rivalry in sportsmanship, importance of education,

and the benefits associated with playing while old.

Integrity is the quality of ethical principals and/or the personality of being whole.

Integrity is closely related to honesty or the virtue of truthful. Andre Agassi confesses that he has

always a truthful person. He went further to reveal that during one of his low periods in the

game, he tempted and used drugs in crystal form but later lied to the officials in order to avoid

suspension from the game. Ironically enough, Andre reveals his hatred for tennis despite playing

it for about thirty years and winning tittles and millions of dollars in the process (Tanenhaus,

New York Times). He writes, “I play tennis for a living, even though I hate tennis, hate it with a

dark and secret passion, and always have.” This comes to the rude shock of his followers as they

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least expected anything like that from Andre. Agassi reveals that the sport he mastered for thirty

years was just but a prison he spent all those years to escape from. The first prison was a tennis

court where his father, Mike, “subjected them to abusive training… taking them out of school

earlier for extra practice times.” He was the only lucky survivor as the other brothers crumbled

due to too much pressure (Agassi, 35-43). His next cell was in Florida tennis where he notes that

there was “constant pressure, competition… lack of adult supervision slowly turned us into

animals…” Agassi’s revelations about using a drug to speed up his momentum in the game and

his hatred for the game is a clear manifestation of integrity on his side; the anti-sportsmanship

revelation in the book, Open.

The most dangerous rivalry in the life of Andre comes in the 1995 semi finals with fellow

player, who actually won. The event that occurred during the semis clearly tells that rivalry is

connected with sportsmanship. Becker’s cat calling on Agassi after the Wimbledon semi

intrigued Agassi to unite conspire with Brad in a bid to revenge on Becker (Dyer, the Guardian).

Another instance of rivalry is between Andre and Pete Sampras where Pete is content with being

at the peak of tennis sports and has no interest in any other thing. This tormented Agassi and he

envied Pete’s lack of inspiration. The theme of rivalry is something that one expects never to be

lacking in any field of sports (Rambeck, 17). Be it football, tennis, or golf, individuals in all

sports have different attitudes, inspirations, and objectives for which they participate in the

games. For example, Agassi plays tennis but he feels this is a true prison while Pete plays tennis

to be at the peak as part of the only inspiration in life.

The act and purpose of generosity is well revealed in the autobiography; Open. Agassi

believes that the only “perfection in a person is the perfection of helping others” (Dyer). After

his divorce, Agassi erected a youth center that transformed to an education complex which gave

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the underprivileged children, mostly Africa-Americans, the opportunity for learning. Agassi got

formal education although the learning he underwent was just but a rough one. He, therefore,

purposed to provide the children with the greatest privilege for which he was denied. Such an act

of philanthropy won him great appreciations from the disadvantaged in the society. Education is

a tool of value that should not be ignored by any other person. It is one among the best gifts that

the society can always unite to provide for its young generation for a better future

Open is an autobiography that is quite interesting to read. It is like watching the real

actions and events taking place in the television. The theme of integrity that is ironically

presented in the book is itself a worth cause for reading the book. Andre writes about the rivalry

that he at one times experienced and got engaged in during his tennis career time and this reveals

the truth that rivalry is ever present and connected with sportsmanship. Andre is seen as a

philanthropist who helped the needy to get education despite the fact that he barely got such an

opportunity while growing. The entire bibliography is all about tennis apart from the shocking

revelations, struggle for awareness, and the dominant story of personal growth.

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Works Cited

Agassi, Andre. Open. New York, NY: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2009. Print.

Dyer, Geoff. “Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi.” Review of Open, by Andre Agassi.

The Guardian. 8 Nov 2012. Web. 7 May 2018.

Rambeck, Richard. Andre Agassi: Tennis Superstars. United Kingdom, UK: Child’s World,

2014. Print

Tanenhaus, Sam. Andre Agassi’s Hate of the Game. New York Times. 20 Nov 2013. Web. 7

May 2018.

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