started reading the book this weekend on a surfing trip to Westport Washington - and I have to admit, the thought of skipping the surf to submerge myself into the book - was way too tempting.
The Anthony Kiedis of the tennis world, this book is an amazing look into the painful, turbulent mind of one of the worlds youngest tennis prodigies. Raised in Vegas desert, by a money-hungry, dictator father, a voiceless mother and a tennis coach who openly resented the young boys talent its written with insight, wisdom and a resounding sense of humility. This book does a brilliant job of stripping the "Agassi Icon", revealing the pressures, the drugs, the media and the pain of not knowing your own strength.
The books contradictions are boundless;
-He's a high school drop out - who reads literary classics between Grand Slams
-Without hesitation he spits and swears at reporters - but his insecurities are so gripping he is confined to a tupee to hide his balding hairline
-His first car was a Corvette - but his best friend is Barbara Streisand and he loves listening to Celine Dion
To give you all a bit of a teaser, here is a quote from the book which gives you just an inkling of how ironic, raw and contradictory this book truly is;
"I play tennis for a living, even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion, and always have"
Why?
"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"
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