You might think that Andre
Agassi and I have nothing in common, and you would be right, almost. But for a short time, he and I were under contract
with the same literary agent, and that was how I became aware of his memoir “Open”. As readers of this blog know, I tend to
follow men’s tennis, but I hadn’t picked up his book until I happened upon a
used copy from the library’s book sale a few months ago. It is an open-hearted and compelling account
of this champion’s struggles, and I couldn’t put it down.
Agassi’s journey is wrenching
and inspiring. Forced to play tennis by
his ambitious and athletic father, he was then sent to a Florida tennis
academy, which he also loathed. His
escape was to break into professional tennis at a young age and to coalesce trainers,
coaches, and friends into a team that enabled him to survive the grueling rounds of
training and tournaments. He speaks to
the issues of family, of meaning, and of retirement. Of course Agassi’s retirement came at a young
age, but the transition for someone whose entire life is a professional sport
must be much more difficult than it is for us boomers!
Turns out, it wasn’t. He had met and married Steffi Graf, had
children, and started a foundation to launch a charter school. He was ready to let go because he had built a
life that was far more meaningful than tennis competition. (I suppose it didn’t hurt that he had won
seven Open championships as well as a gold medal in the Olympics and had made one
of the most spectacular comebacks in the sport.) He quotes Nelson Mandela, “No matter where
you are in life, there is always more journey ahead.” When I despair of this or that, I will
meditate on these powerful words.
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