South SFV Today

Andre Agassi, a renowned figure in the world of tennis, recently addressed an audience at Memorial Auditorium, sharing insights from his autobiography, "Open." In his speech, Agassi reflected on his illustrious career and the internal struggles he faced despite his success.

"A contradiction I came to terms with was being really good at something I hated," Agassi stated. He spoke about spending much of his life grappling with identity issues, saying, "I spent most of my life not knowing who I was – a good chunk of my life [with] people telling me who I was."

Agassi's book is featured in the Three Books program as part of the fall course titled Why College? Your Education and the Good Life. This course encourages students to consider their educational journey and personal aspirations.

Stanford President Jon Levin introduced Agassi by acknowledging his achievements both on the court and as a memoirist. “Once in a while someone writes a book that just completely makes you change everything you thought of that person,” Levin remarked.

The event included a moderated discussion led by Professor Robert Harrison and allowed students to engage directly with Agassi through a question-and-answer session.

Throughout his career, Agassi amassed 60 men's singles titles, including eight Grand Slam championships and an Olympic gold medal. Despite these accomplishments, he revealed that tennis was not his chosen path but rather one imposed by his father. "Tennis was never my choice. It was my father's choice," he admitted.

Agassi described how fear became a motivator for him due to the environment created by his father. At age 13, he attended a tennis academy where performance defined him. His desire for autonomy pushed him to excel even though he disliked the sport.

After experiencing a significant decline in rankings during 1997, Agassi managed to stage an impressive comeback the following year. Reflecting on this period, he emphasized that striving for perfection is unattainable: "Perfectionism is a destination you never really get to."

Through helping others and establishing charitable initiatives like the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, he found new purpose beyond tennis. "This is why we're here, to help each other feel safe," Agassi noted.

During the Q&A session, when asked about gratitude and happiness throughout his career, he highlighted the importance of appreciating more than just accolades: “It’s good to be grateful in all things. Not for things.”

When questioned about who might be considered the greatest tennis player of all time (GOAT), Agassi acknowledged Novak Djokovic's achievements: “You absolutely cannot deny the numbers and the accomplishments and records that Novak [Djokovic] has put on board.”

Reflecting on whether enduring personal challenges were worthwhile given their positive outcomes like charitable work, Agassi affirmed they were indeed worth it.

Despite releasing "Open" over a decade ago as a best-seller in 2009 under The New York Times list; however according according agassing ,the journey toward self-growth continues still today ."The book didn’t change my life.I’m continually forming.It was necessary part growth,but continued",he concluded .