Disponibile per la prenotazione online l'attesissima biografia di Andre Agassi, in uscita il prossimo 9 novembre negli USA. Grande sensazione hanno destato le rivelazioni di Agassi che in un passo del libro svela di aver fatto uso di doping nel 1996, riuscendo comunque a farla franca.
From Andre Agassi, one of the most beloved athletes in history and one
of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court, a beautiful,
haunting autobiography.
Agassi’s incredibly rigorous training
begins when he is just a child. By the age of thirteen, he is banished
to a Florida tennis camp that feels like a prison camp. Lonely, scared,
a ninth-grade dropout, he rebels in ways that will soon make him a
1980s icon. He dyes his hair, pierces his ears, dresses like a punk
rocker. By the time he turns pro at sixteen, his new look promises to
change tennis forever, as does his lightning-fast return.
And
yet, despite his raw talent, he struggles early on. We feel his
confusion as he loses to the world’s best, his greater confusion as he
starts to win. After stumbling in three Grand Slam finals, Agassi
shocks the world, and himself, by capturing the 1992 Wimbledon.
Overnight he becomes a fan favorite and a media target.
Agassi
brings a near-photographic memory to every pivotal match and every
relationship. Never before has the inner game of tennis and the outer
game of fame been so precisely limned. Alongside vivid portraits of
rivals from several generations—Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, Roger
Federer—Agassi gives unstinting accounts of his brief time with Barbra
Streisand and his doomed marriage to Brooke Shields. He reveals a
shattering loss of confidence. And he recounts his spectacular
resurrection, a comeback climaxing with his epic run at the 1999 French
Open and his march to become the oldest man ever ranked number one.
In
clear, taut prose, Agassi evokes his loyal brother, his wise coach, his
gentle trainer, all the people who help him regain his balance and find
love at last with Stefanie Graf. Inspired by her quiet strength, he
fights through crippling pain from a deteriorating spine to remain a
dangerous opponent in the twenty-first and final year of his career.
Entering his last tournament in 2006, he’s hailed for completing a
stunning metamorphosis, from nonconformist to elder statesman, from
dropout to education advocate. And still he’s not done. At a U.S. Open
for the ages, he makes a courageous last stand, then delivers one of
the most stirring farewells ever heard in a sporting arena.
With its breakneck tempo and raw candor, Open will
be read and cherished for years. A treat for ardent fans, it will also
captivate readers who know nothing about tennis. Like Agassi’s game, it
sets a new standard for grace, style, speed, and power.
