Open

The exploration of Andre’s struggles with identity and purpose in Open offers insight into his journey from a troubled prodigy to a self-aware individual. Throughout the book, Agassi provides an intimate look at his struggles to find his true self amid the pressures of professional tennis, familial expectations, and public scrutiny. His path to self-discovery was marked by several transformative experiences and relationships that ultimately led him to a place of authenticity and personal fulfillment.

Despite his success, Andre often felt a disconnect between his public persona as a tennis champion and his private dissatisfaction with the sport. This conflict arose from his perception of tennis as a career chosen for him rather than by him. The expectations set by his father instilled in young Andre a deep-seated resentment and ambivalence toward tennis, leading to a complex relationship with the sport that was central to his identity. Grappling with a sense of emptiness and a lack of autonomy, he felt like a performer playing a role.

As a teen, Andre identified rebellion as his only form of autonomy. Essentially trapped at the tennis academy, he asserted his will through infractions of the regulations. However, these rebellions were largely confined to his appearance, ultimately demonstrating the limits of his agency. Agassi charts how his flamboyant style, characterized by flashy clothes and earrings, started as a way to assert his individuality but became a mask, hiding his true feelings of inadequacy and confusion. His candid revelation that he grew his trademark long hair to conceal premature balding and embellished it with a hairpiece underscores the inauthenticity of his public persona.

Andre’s inability to express his true self on the tennis court frequently caused a lack of motivation, leading to accusations of tanking. Ambivalent about the goal of becoming a tennis champion, he lacked the will to win for his own sake. Consequently, he sought fulfillment in his personal life. His eagerness to marry Wendi and then Brooke expressed his desire for stability and a significant other to complete him. However, during his relationship with Brooke, he became further alienated from his true self. His discomfort when he was made to wear lifts in his shoes at their wedding demonstrated his uneasiness at the artificiality of his role.

A significant step in Andre’s journey toward authenticity was his shift from self-centered pursuits to a focus on giving back. Establishing the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy provided a sense of personal fulfillment as well as the professional purpose he previously lacked. Motivated by the desire to make a positive impact on the lives of others, he wanted to play and win. Thus, he finally found a way to align his career with his authentic self and values. In addition, several key relationships played pivotal roles in his development as an individual. Andre’s chosen family (Philly, Perry, Gil, Brad, and J. P.), consistently provided the emotional support and perspective he needed to navigate his self-doubt. The memoir presents Andre’s marriage to Steffi Graf, marked by understanding and mutual respect, as a vital source of emotional stability, helping him find fulfillment beyond the tennis court.

Agassi’s candid exploration of his struggles, relationships, and eventual growth provides insight into the complexities of identity and being true to one’s self. His journey from a reluctant tennis prodigy to a self-aware individual committed to making a positive difference underscores the importance of authenticity.