One of the things that struck me on reading Andre Agassi's autobiography, "Open", was the obvious importance to him of his support team - both as a player and as an individual. Although it was Andre playing the matches and collecting the trophies, he freely acknowledges that he could not have done it without his brother and encourager Philly; his advisor and manager Perry Rogers; his coaches Nick Bollettieri, Brad Gilbert and Darren Cahill; his trainer, friend and sometimes-bodyguard, Gil Reyes; and even his father who pushed him to become the best tennis player in the world.
Team sports also have a support team behind the scenes whose role it is to coach, organise and look after the players' interests. Often it is the quality of the support team that makes the difference between winning and losing when there is not much to choose between the players on each side. The same principle applies in business, the military, and probably any other human organisation you care to think of.
This concept can even extend beyond the direct involvement of colleagues and employees, to family and dependants. Andre Agassi has made no secret of his ambivalent feelings towards tennis. Yet he seems to have discovered his purpose in it all through his family and charitable foundation which, amongst other projects, funds inner-city education. Indeed, this seems to be the factor that motivated him to continue playing at the highest level until the age of 36, despite enduring agonising back pain towards the end of his career. When things were tough he would consciously remind himself that he was playing not for his own benefit, but for all those who depended on him. So these too became part of his extended team, and every time he stepped out on the court he was representing them.
Perhaps it's by chance that Andre's enlightenment coincides with his transformation from bad-boy rebel to elder statesman of the game - but I don't think so. I believe we all have an inner need to feel that our work has a purpose and impact beyond ourselves; ultimately this is what gives meaning to our existence. It's worth each one of us asking ourselves the same question, regardless of our role and station in life: "Who am I playing for?"
Showing posts with label Andre Agassi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andre Agassi. Show all posts
Saturday
Friday
Andre Agassi's autobiography: Open
I guess life at the top is hard. Andre Agassi, in his recent autobiography Open, describes the unravelling that occurs at the top level as a centrifugal force that disrupts a player physically, mentally and emotionally. Incidentally, John McEnroe describes in his book Serious how he went through a fairly similar process when he was at the top.It's funny because I've always kind of assumed I'd enjoy tennis more if I could be better and win more, but the message these guys are delivering is that the better you get and the more you win, the less you seem to enjoy it! It seems being ranked Number One is far less enjoyable than my own Infinity ranking - which leads me to wonder what the optimal world ranking is for enjoying the game. 100? 500? 10,000? If anyone knows, please let me know!
As I mentioned previously, when I first heard about Andre's drugs revelation in the book I was a bit cynical that it was just a ploy to sell more copies. Well, that may be true, but read in context it's just part of the overall psychological mess that he seems to have ended up in back in 1997 - personal, relational and professional problems piled on top of each other. As Andre reminds us repeatedly in the book, he truly hates tennis!
The rest of the book chronicles his journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance in transforming himself from that kid who hates tennis to someone who uses his God-given talent to help others. For it is in looking out for the needs of others that he finds the meaning and fulfillment that he never could in tennis itself. It's a lesson we all need to learn in one way or another, I guess.
I also found it interesting to read Andre's take on his relationship with Brad Gilbert, because I read Brad's book Winning Ugly earlier this year. Andre mostly glosses over the change to his mental approach that Brad introduced and talks about a lot in his (Brad's) book, but interestingly he does appear to credit Brad with the intervention late in 1997 that sparked his comeback to the top level. Actually Andre talks a lot in the book about how important his team was to his success - another important life lesson right there.
The book is well written (perhaps surprisingly as Andre reveals that he dropped out of high school in the ninth grade - then again he'll have had help writing it, of course) and left me with a greater insight into the pitfalls of success and fame. It's a compelling read and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone with even a passing (no pun intended) interest in tennis.
Sunday
Andre Agassi's drugs confession
In his autobiography "Open", Andre Agassi controversially confesses to taking the recreational drug crystal meth while competing on the ATP tour back in 1997, and perhaps even more shockingly, to asking / allowing a friend to take the rap when he failed a doping test around the same time. Now, if it had been bad-boy John McEnroe who had made the admission, perhaps no one would have been that surprised, but the fact that it was Andre Agassi, who was (and still is) regarded as one of tennis's greatest ambassadors makes it doubly unpalatable.
Andre went on after that episode to regain tennis's top spot and win numerous titles - one wonders what would have happened if he'd been banned for his drug-taking. Would his career have taken off in the same way? Obviously we'll never know. Andre has since expressed his regret over the incident, but the question is: why did he feel the need to make the disclosure in the first place? What does he hope to achieve?
Marat Safin, another former world number one and grand slam winner, recently had the following to say:
Safin also goes on to speculate about Andre's motives for the disclosure, suggesting that it's all about selling his book. There may well be substance to that - I've certainly not heard a more convincing reason yet. At best though, one feels that it's an ill-advised move which is unlikely to enhance Agassi's reputation. Fortunately he has a lot of moral capital to draw on, built up by years of humanitarian and charitable work.
Andre went on after that episode to regain tennis's top spot and win numerous titles - one wonders what would have happened if he'd been banned for his drug-taking. Would his career have taken off in the same way? Obviously we'll never know. Andre has since expressed his regret over the incident, but the question is: why did he feel the need to make the disclosure in the first place? What does he hope to achieve?
Marat Safin, another former world number one and grand slam winner, recently had the following to say:
He feels guilty? So let him just give back his titles, money, his grand slams! If he is so fair play, he should go all the way. You know, ATP have a bank account, he can refund if he wants to.
Safin also goes on to speculate about Andre's motives for the disclosure, suggesting that it's all about selling his book. There may well be substance to that - I've certainly not heard a more convincing reason yet. At best though, one feels that it's an ill-advised move which is unlikely to enhance Agassi's reputation. Fortunately he has a lot of moral capital to draw on, built up by years of humanitarian and charitable work.
Great tennis comebacks: Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi burst onto the professional tennis scene in 1986 as a precocious 16 year old who quickly established himself as a supremely talented, if somewhat rebellious individual. Who can forget his rockstar mane (which, it turns out was actually a wig) or the bright neon-and-denim outfits he used to turn up to play in? A lesser personality would not have gotten away with it, but his phenomenal talent, charm and charisma meant that ordinary rules did not apply to him.
By the end of 1988 he had already reached number 3 in the world rankings and earned over $2 million, and was a regular grand-slam semi-finalist, but he had to wait until 1992 for his first grand slam title - Wimbledon - which was a tremendous achievement for a baseline player at a time when serve-volley players still ruled the grass courts.
In spite of his talent and success however, Agassi was regarded as somewhat weak mentally, a player who could be beaten if you could hang in long enough against him. He wasn't prepared to graft as much as certain other less-talented players, relying rather on his natural ability to carry him through. This all began to change in 1994 when he teamed up with Brad Gilbert, perhaps the most cunning tactician of the modern tennis era. Gilbert worked with Andre to develop his tactical nous, which undoubtedly was a major factor in his longevity and later success.
But the pressure began to tell in 1997 when injuries and personal issues took their toll on Andre's game, and by the end of the year his ranking had slumped to 141 in the world, which for a player of his ability was almost unthinkable.
His comeback started in 1998 with Andre working hard on his conditioning and working his way back up the rankings by playing in Challenger Series tournaments. He won the French Open in 1999, the only grand slam to elude him up until then, and in so doing joined a very select group of players to have won all four grand slam singles titles during his career.
He carried on playing at the top level until 2006 when he was eventually forced to retire due to chronic injuries at the age of 36. By then he was very much the elder statesman of the game, having transformed himself from the unruly teenage sensation to a mature, tough competitor who was (and still is) a great tennis ambassador.
By the end of 1988 he had already reached number 3 in the world rankings and earned over $2 million, and was a regular grand-slam semi-finalist, but he had to wait until 1992 for his first grand slam title - Wimbledon - which was a tremendous achievement for a baseline player at a time when serve-volley players still ruled the grass courts.
In spite of his talent and success however, Agassi was regarded as somewhat weak mentally, a player who could be beaten if you could hang in long enough against him. He wasn't prepared to graft as much as certain other less-talented players, relying rather on his natural ability to carry him through. This all began to change in 1994 when he teamed up with Brad Gilbert, perhaps the most cunning tactician of the modern tennis era. Gilbert worked with Andre to develop his tactical nous, which undoubtedly was a major factor in his longevity and later success.
But the pressure began to tell in 1997 when injuries and personal issues took their toll on Andre's game, and by the end of the year his ranking had slumped to 141 in the world, which for a player of his ability was almost unthinkable.
His comeback started in 1998 with Andre working hard on his conditioning and working his way back up the rankings by playing in Challenger Series tournaments. He won the French Open in 1999, the only grand slam to elude him up until then, and in so doing joined a very select group of players to have won all four grand slam singles titles during his career.
He carried on playing at the top level until 2006 when he was eventually forced to retire due to chronic injuries at the age of 36. By then he was very much the elder statesman of the game, having transformed himself from the unruly teenage sensation to a mature, tough competitor who was (and still is) a great tennis ambassador.
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