Andre Agassi

These are qualities that Andre Agassi has. (I made it. (Me, Sofia Lyras-Bouchard))

I chose to read the book Open by Andre Agassi because both of my parents read it and they loved it! My book is an autobiography. My book is 386 pages long. The book covers from 1977 to approximately 2006. The book was published in 2009. Andre Agassi hated tennis even though he was one of the greatest players of all time. He and his wife, Steffi Graf are the only ones who won Career Grand Slam and a gold medal in tennis at the Olympics. Agassi was awarded the ATP Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in 1995 for his efforts to help disadvantaged youth.

This is a portait of Andre Agassi. (I drew it.) (Me, Sofia Lyras-Bouchard))

Andre Agassi grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has three siblings, two older sisters and an older brother. His dad, Mike Agassi was a really rough man who pushed Andre to do tennis. Andre hated it but he didn't have a choice. His dad was rude and he had a lot of rage inside him. Andre's mom, Elizabeth Agassi, was extremely calm. She would never get mad except once in a while she will let everything out. His older brother, Philly, was really close to Andre. They would share their bedroom and every night they would tell each other everything. They both listened carefully and gave their opinion if the other would have a problem. Andre went to school in Vegas, from 1st grade to 7th grade. After, he went to the Bradenton Academy. In his mid-teens, he abandoned his education to play tennis full time. Andre Agassi didn't do a lot of things other then tennis, but he worked out a lot because he wanted to be physically better and he also hanged out with his friend Perry. Agassi made a rebellion. He had a pink Mohawk, he pierced his ears and he was writing really rude things on Nick Bollettieri's office door ( at the Bollettieri Academy ). He did all this because he was mad at his dad for putting him into something he hated. Also it was because of Nick, cause Andre was supposed to stay at Bollettieri Academy only three months, but Nick made him stay many years, because of his talent.When he was young, Bjorn Borg inspired him a lot. Losing was the only thing Andre hated more then tennis. His dream was always to win the tournaments he played in. He didn't really have a choice for what he was gonna do when he was gonna be older. He had to be the best in the world in tennis. All the time he played tennis when he was older foreshadowed his career, because he became one of the most dominant players from the early 1990s to mid 2000s.

This is an action picture of Andre Agassi. (I drew it. (Me, Sofia Lyras-Bouchard))

Playing tennis during a really long time was probably a pretty big challenge for Andre, because it was something he hated. The main reason why he hated it was mostly cause it was to him a very lonely sport. Andre couldn't do anything about it because he didn't have a lot of education, so he couldn't do anything else. Also he had a very big talent in tennis and he was successful at it. His dad had a big influence on him, because if his dad had not pushed him to play tennis, Andre probably would've done something else. Agassi is really determined. Per example, even if sometimes he had a bad match he would still continue working hard and getting better and better. Also, he was very observant. At the beginning of the book ( which starts with the end ) he's playing a match and he sees every single little detail. Andre is experienced, because in all his matches and tournaments he always says that he understands how the person is feeling. I think Andre Agassi's biggest weakness is that sometimes he is just not motivated. In the book sometimes he says that he just wants to lose. Something funny that happened in his life is that one day Andre was at his friend's house, Perry, and Perry said that one day Andre would date someone like Brooke Shields and years later he dated her. They even got married (but after they broke up)! Andre Agassi won the 1992 Wimbledon, Davis cup, Olympic gold (Atlanta) in 1996, 17 ATP masters series titles, the Grand Slam in Rolland Garros in 1999, four consecutive grand slam titles, four Australian Open titles, longevity ; top 10 for 16 years and a US Open in 1994!!!

What i learned about Andre is that he is someone amazing that didn't have an easy life and he still pushed through everything. I also learned that he excelled in his sport even if he hated it. If I would meet Andre, I would ask him what motivated him to play tennis all his life. I would also ask him what he would've wanted to do if he didn't play tennis. My last question would be if his friends' support helped him a lot. Yes I would want to be this person's child, because i could have someone to look up to and also if something went wrong he could help me get over it, because of his experience. I absolutely loved the book! Andre would make us feel what he was feeling. Also I think he's really inspiring. It was really hard for me to put the book down because it was so good and i always wanted to know more about him! It was really interesting and there was always lots of action! Something I learned from the book is that no matter what, I always have to push through what is going on and it'll pay off. I think people that like sports will love this book because it is really inspiring and interesting. Even if you don't necessarily like tennis this book is still extremely good. I don't like tennis that much but I loved the book. It was amazing. If you don't play any sports this may not be your kind of book because maybe you can't relate as much, but the story is still good. I am really happy to have chosen this book because as I said before, i loved the story and I liked the way Andre explained everything. For me, Andre Agassi would be someone to look up as a hero, because he is an amazing person and I think what he accomplished is fabulous.