This is about Andre Agassi’s autobiography, “Open.” I admit I’m late getting to this book — it came out in 2009. There’s a reason. I almost never read sports books. They almost universally are not well written and I read slowly and can’t waste time on bad prose. That sounds snobby but that’s the way it is.

I was attracted to Agassi’s book, and after reading Huck Finn yet again, I said what the heck and got Agassi’s book. It is ghosted by JR Moehringer, a very good writer, and that interested me up front. He does a wonderful job with Agassi, opening up Agassi, writing dramatic scenes with impact. I have not finished the book — I have about 80 pages to go and I intend to finish it today. It’s 386 pages.

In the book we learn of Agassi’s odd childhood — his dad made him play tennis from the start and Agassi came to hate tennis, although I believe part of him also loved it. Sometimes he tanked matches, or seemed to, and this happened when he was famous. He was confused and self-destructive and childish — he’s acted badly several times in San Jose and he knows it. He took  crystal meth when he was a world-class tennis player. Rarely do you see an athlete this honest about himself.

He talks about Pete Sampras, his rival. He finds him dull but he likes him. He understands the difference in their oncourt personalities, Sampras apparently unflappable, Agassis an emotional mess at times. And Agassi does something else I love. He talks about the psychology of match play, what it feels like to be on the court when he’s winning or when he’s losing and how he has to dig deep to fight back or not fight back. He says tennis is like boxing and it is like boxing.

So, I recommend this book if you’re looking for a sports read. It’s light years ahead of most sports books and it makes Agassi seem complex and at his core likeable