Open comes with with an astonishingly honest revelation: Andre Agassi hated tennis and he never wanted to play it in the first place. 'Hit harder' - Mike Agassi would yell, as the seven year old Andre hit his daily quota of 2,500 balls.Īs he was forced to practice tennis during all his childhood, Andre Agassi saw it taking away all his time for friends, school and all the typical youth endeavors. 'The dragon', as they named the machine, would shoot up the tennis balls against Andre, on a court with a net raised 6 inches above regulation, for a tougher practice. He recalls how he spent all his afternoons on the Agassi's family backyard court, hitting balls against a machine built by his father, Mike Agassi. 1 (and hating it)Īgassi grew up in Las Vegas and was from early on coached by his father to become a professional tennis player. Open takes a very personal trip through Agassi's life from early childhood to his final professional game in the US Open of 2006.

What kind of leadership lesson can you take from a book about a tennis player who spent most of his career playing by himself on the court?

Open agassi