Open by Andre Agassi

I just finished the book Open, by Andre Agassi (and J. R. Moehringer).

I really enjoyed this book. It's the second book I've read from J. R. Moehringer (first one being Shoe Dog).

Of course Agassi has interesting stories, but what I found the most enjoyable about the book was its style. It's also what I enjoyed the most about Shoe Dog.

They were simply really enjoyable and easy to read.

One thing that really spoke to me, was completely at the end, in the acknowledgement section from Agassi, where he is thanking Moehringer:

Moehringer felt that the stories were Agassi's own, and that "only one name belonged on the cover".

I really respect that decision, and generosity. It shows character. It also shows control over his own ego, for the better of the end product – in this case the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a light, enjoyable read.

Some highlights:

The objective is to get within reach of that finish line, because then it gives off a magnetic force. When you're close, you can feel that force pulling you, and you can use that force to get across.

My father says that when he boxed, he always wanted to take a guy's best punch. […] When you know that you just took the other guy's best punch, and you're still standing, and the other guy knows it, you will rip his heart right out of him. […] He calls it putting a blister on the other guy's brain.

My opponent is bad, which puts me at a disadvantage. I'm at my worst against lesser opponents. I play down to their level.

There's a lot of good waiting for you on the other side of tired.

But I don't feel that [winning] Wimbledon has changed me. I feel, in fact, as if I've been let in on a dirty little secret: winning changes nothing. Now that I've won a slam, I know something that very few people on earth are permitted to know. A win doesn't feel as good as a loss feels bad, and the good feeling doesn't last as long as the bad. Not even close.

[Coach asking] What'd you do that for? I know it's a killer shot, but every shot doesn't have to be killer. Sometimes the best shot is a holding shot, an OK shot, a shot that gives the other guy a chance to miss. Let the other guy play.