“Freed from the thoughts of winning, I instantly play better. I stop thinking, start feeling. My shots become a half-second quicker, my decisions become the product of instinct rather than logic.” Andre Agassi
For our next Book Club meeting, we’ll be discussing ‘Open’ by Andre Agassi. Far more than a superb memoir about the highest levels of professional tennis, Open is the engrossing story of a remarkable life. Andre Agassi had his life mapped out for him before he left the crib. Groomed to be a tennis champion by his moody and demanding father, by the age of twenty-two Agassi had won the first of his eight grand slams and achieved wealth, celebrity, and the game’s highest honors. But as he reveals in this searching autobiography, off the court he was often unhappy and confused, unfulfilled by his great achievements in a sport he had come to resent. Agassi writes candidly about his early success and his uncomfortable relationship with fame, his marriage to Brooke Shields, his growing interest in philanthropy, and—described in haunting, point-by-point detail—the highs and lows of his celebrated career.
When | 13th October, 2012, at 5 pm
Where | To be Confirmed
If you’re attending our Book Club for the first time, please register by sending an email to contactus@littleblackbookdelhi.com.
See you soon!
About the Book | “It’s no accident, I think, that tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love, the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature. Even the structure of tennis, the way the pieces fit inside one another like Russian nesting dolls, mimics the structure of our days. Points become games become sets become tournaments, and it’s all so tightly connected that any point can become the turning point. It reminds me of the way seconds become minutes become hours, and any hour can be our finest. Or darkest. It’s our choice.” From ‘Open’.
If you spent sometime watching tennis in the ’90s and/or early ’00s you will connect with the story more than otherwise, however, this is not just a tennis story. It talks about the life of a child prodigy who never wanted to do what he was precocious at. Yes, one of the greatest tennis players of our times hated the game with all his heart and was forced to continue with it due to an overbearing, almost maniacal father – Mike Agassi. Andre was signing autographs and winning tournaments at a time when most of are playing in kindergarden. His future was planned even before he was born, he had to become the No. 1 tennis player in the world, and there were no two ways about it. This stunning chronicle isn’t only for the tennis enthusiasts- what it does is tells the story of a boy who was made a hero, then fell from grace, only to rise again. It’s brutally honest, giving details about Andre’s tryst with crystal meth, his relationship with his father, his coaches, his contemporaries, and everything in between.
Summary courtesy | www.barnesandnoble.com
