5 Powerful Memoirs & Autobiographies That Will Change Your View on Life
By: Anirban Kar
Tags: Reading, Books, Motivation, Inspiration, Autobiography

Open

by Andre Agassi, J.R. Moehringer

Can you be good at something that you don’t really like? I would say no if someone had asked me this a few years back. However, the story of Andre Agassi taught me otherwise. It showed me not only good — you can be the best.

Image by Goodreads

If you did not know, Andre Agassi is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Despite hating on the sport from his childhood, he won 8 Grand Slam titles and ranked to be the best player in 1995 and 1999. Following his first world ranking success, he also won a Gold medal in the 1996 Olympics.

Unsurprisingly, a record as exceptional as his holds a story worth sharing. Andre Agassi offers us just that in his inspirational piece of autobiography, Open. In this book, we see a seven-year-old Agassi starting his practice under his father. His father believed if a child hits one million balls a year, he would be unbeatable. This very attitude of giving everything you have paved the way for Agassi in the coming years of his life.

Why should you read it:

When I started working for my cousin, I was a novice. I had just graduated and struggled heavily to cope up with the chaotic environment of an office. My cousin quickly felt that I was not in the right frame of mind. So to help me get in the zone, he had lent me a few of his favorite reads. That’s how I came across this book.

This book held my hand when I was having a hard time accepting myself. Even though I had topped the exams, my lack of foresight, coupled with my underwhelming performance as an employee, had hurt my self-esteem quite a bit. Agassi, too, had gone through a similar phase when he was struggling to deal with his hair fall.

Believe it or not, the anomaly had shaken him so much that he had lost both the French Grand Slam Open and US Grand Slam Open finals in 1990. Later along the road, he conquered his predicament and shaved his head. And he did it before his 1995 Grand Slam Australian Open and becoming the World Number 1.

The book also mentions Gil Reyes, the American fitness trainer. Agassi ranked fourth in 1988. He could feel that his height and strength are not helping him in the longer games. Instead of ignoring or taking offense to his weaknesses, Agassi chose to act accordingly. He knew he needed the best man to make him the most robust version of himself.

In 1989 he joined forces with Reyes. At the time, Reyes was a conditioning coach for the basketball program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He was even attached to them when they won the 1990 NCAA championships. Reyes managed to scan Agassi’s physique masterfully, building a custom training regime and workout pieces of equipment for him. As a result, Agassi’s conditioning improved dramatically, leading him to excel in his career.

This portion is so powerful as it beautifully captures how acknowledging your weakness the right way can prove to be miraculous. Agassi also trusts the reader with the not-so-impressive phases of his life. He admits to taking drugs, having marital issues, and thinking of quitting the sport. In a rather brave move, he chooses to reveal the cost of being at the top.