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Title details for Open by Andre Agassi - Available

Open

An Autobiography

by Andre Agassi
Erik Davies
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 2 copies available
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. Coaxed to swing a racket while still in the crib, forced to hit hundreds of balls a day while still in grade school, Agassi resented the constant pressure even as he drove himself to become a prodigy, an inner conflict that would define him. Now, in his beautiful, haunting autobiography, Agassi tells the story of a life framed by such conflicts. Agassi makes us feel his panic as an undersized seven-year-old in Las Vegas, practicing all day under the obsessive gaze of his violent father. We see him at thirteen, banished to a Florida tennis camp. Lonely, scared, a ninth-grade dropout, he rebels in ways that will soon make him a 1980s icon. By the time he turns pro at sixteen, his new look promises to change tennis forever, as does his lightning fast return. And yet, despite his raw talent, he struggles early on. We feel his confusion as he loses to the world's best, his greater confusion as he starts to win. After stumbling in three Grand Slam finals, Agassi shocks the world, and himself, by capturing the 1992 Wimbledon. Overnight he becomes a fan favorite and a media target. Agassi brings a near-photographic memory to every pivotal match, and every public relationship. Alongside vivid portraits of rivals, Agassi gives unstinting accounts of his brief time with Barbra Streisand and his doomed marriage to Brooke Shields. He reveals the depression that shatters his confidence, and the mistake that nearly costs him everything. Finally, he recounts his spectacular resurrection and his march to become the oldest man ever ranked number one. In clear, taut prose, Agassi evokes his loyal brother, his wise coach, his gentle trainer, all the people who help him regain his balance and find love at last with Stefanie Graf. With its breakneck tempo and raw candor, Open will be read and cherished for years. A treat for ardent fans, it will also captivate readers who know nothing about tennis. Like Agassi's game, it sets a new standard for grace, style, speed and power.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 9, 2009

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780007317189
      • File size: 186410 KB
      • Duration: 06:28:21

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Andre Agassi hates tennis. Forced at a very young age by his father to make tennis his life's ambition, Agassi developed a hatred of tennis that was superseded only by his hatred of losing. This is just one of many contradictions that have helped to define one of the most gifted men to ever play the game. OPEN chronicles his life from his years as an unranked amateur through his retirement in 2006. Erik Davies narrates at an almost-breathless pace that almost certainly parallels the whirlwind life led by Agassi. With a voice that easily adapts to the myriad people in Agassi's life, Davies seemingly captures every ounce of emotion recounted by the author. J.P.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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