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TIL Tennis Legend Andre Agassi Admitted in His Autobiography That He Hated Tennis but Continued to Play Due to Family Pressure and Talent (npr.org)

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[–][deleted] 472 points473 points  (12 children)

Is this like, always? He always hated it throughout his entire career? Or just when his parents were pushing him into it at a young age?

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"he was born with spondylolisthesis, a spinal condition where one vertebra parts from the other, leaving less room for the nerves in the spinal column, the slightest wrong movement can leave Agassi awash in pain."

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Yikes

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Alright from another article:

He hated it because it was pushed onto him. According to Andre's memory his father tried to get one of his children to be a great tennis player. He started with the older and worked his way down to Andre who had talent.

At a young age Andre's father took him to the hotels on the Vegas strip and got Andre to play the rich men at tennis. Of course, Andre would lose the first set and then when the wager got higher Andre would win. It was a way for his father to get additional money.

The father was very rigid in his discipline techniques and Andre was on the tennis court for hours upon hours every day hitting balls. His father was relentless and as a child Andre had no recourse. Of course he hated the game. He explains that his rebellious streak was as a result of his hatred for the game. Somewhere deep inside he knew he was very good and continued with the training. It wasn't until he was an adult that he started to actually like what he was doing and become serious about it.

[–]koriroo 81 points82 points  (3 children)

I am actually reading his autobiography now, his dad would also raise the tennis net above regulation level stating it will make all his balls go over the net when he plays for real. Look up the back cover of the book, he was just a baby when he started really sad.

[–]LordUfford 31 points32 points  (1 child)

That actually sounds like quite a good training technique for making sure you don’t accidentally hit the net

[–]Nimmy_the_Jim 80 points81 points  (4 children)

Thank you Context is important

[–]Waramp 15 points16 points  (2 children)

I was hoping he hated it as an adult. Lots of people hate their jobs, it would make him relatable. But most jobs people hate don’t pay that well.

[–]pyrrhios 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I think there's a bit of job vs. career vs. life context here. For Andre there would have been significant conflation between them, when there's not so much for the rest of us. I've made it very clear to every manager I've had for over a decade now that my job is not my life, my job supports my life, and we'll do well so long as those are aligned.

[–]bluefeet_Walk_8777 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"I play tennis for a living even though I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion and always have." This was late in his career.

[–]SavageComic 20 points21 points  (1 child)

There's been a few sportsmen over the years that said they hated it. Chris Boardman won Olympic gold, the hour record and a stage at the tour de France and said he hated cycling.

[–]TvHeroUK 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Well it did kill his mother https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/driver-who-killed-olympic-champion-15758930.amp

Slightly different with Boardman though. He loves cycling as a sport, but hated that ten minutes into any race and he’d feel the lactic acid burn and know his entire day would be spent in pain. As with a lot of cyclists, he also disliked that the start of each new season meant he would be away from his family for months on end, going out on long training rides every day even when at home.

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh shit! I got spondylolisthesis too… it fucking sucks

[–]Longdogga 229 points230 points  (15 children)

This is relatively common amongst professional sports people.

They hate the sport, but know it is the best way to make money.

Jesper parnevik the golfer is similar.

[–]Dreadzone666 91 points92 points  (7 children)

Benoit Assou-Ekotto (ex-Tottenham defender) was the same with football/soccer. Even while he was playing, he always said it was just a very well paying job to him. He admitted once in an interview to sometimes getting West Ham and Aston Villa confused while he was literally in a match against them because their kits looked similar.

[–]LiterallyOuttoLunch 17 points18 points  (2 children)

West Ham Chant: We Are West Ham's Claret And Blue Army...

Aston Villa Chant: Every week we follow, the boys in claret and blue...

[–]SavageComic 11 points12 points  (1 child)

There's also Burnley who wear Claret and Blue. Very off that 3 of the 20 teams in the top division have that colour scheme

[–]wh_atever 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The problem isn’t even that they have the same colors. The problem is that all three specifically have claret shirts with blue sleeves. Extremely confusing.

[–]krollAY 12 points13 points  (2 children)

Eden Hazard was similar too. I remember reading an article about him that interviewed some former coaches who said he had more natural talent than Messi or Ronaldo, he just wasn’t that interested in the sport so didn’t try as hard as either of them. Still had enough talent to make him world class, but he could have been better if he wanted to be.

[–]mechajlaw 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I don't blame him. He already had generational wealth lined up. He might as well try to enjoy his off hours a bit more.

[–]goat_screamPS4 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I came here to say about BAE, I always liked how honest he was about it.

[–]nopenopenope246810 7 points8 points  (0 children)

An interviewer asked NBA Center and #1 overall draft pick DeAndre Ayton about his career goals/how he’d define success in the NBA and he said β€˜getting to my second contract.’

(That’s the big one in the NBA, after your rookie contract is 4 years at a specific relatively low number)

People still hold it against him (not a winner, doesn’t have that dog in him, etc) but it’s life-changing, future-changing, generational wealth stuff. Makes sense to me.

[–]MFoy 24 points25 points  (4 children)

Anthony Rendon the MLB player. He’s given up on even going through the motions since he got paid.

[–]DDDUnit2990 20 points21 points  (3 children)

I met him once at a charity event when he was still on the Nats. The event was being put on by a pretty unimportant spot reliever. Most players showed up but he was the only star who stayed until the end. Really nice guy who talked to everyone who said hi to him

[–]MFoy 12 points13 points  (2 children)

I don’t think his problem has ever been the fans, but rather β€œprofessional sports” as an industry. From the media to ownership, etc.

He made it abundantly clear from day one he doesn’t particularly enjoy baseball, but it was a way for him to make millions of dollars, was never willing to discuss a contract extension, and signed for the team that offered him the most money. He also made it clear that he was happy the team that signed him wasn’t a team with a major league wide media presence.

[–]puckit 6 points7 points  (1 child)

I've always wanted to see a huge sports star retire in their prime, saying it's because they were only in it for the money and they now have all the money they need. I'd love to see the sports panel discussion shows react.

[–]mkdz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not retiring for the money, but Andrew Luck retired in his prime.

[–]whatproblems 13 points14 points  (0 children)

they also don’t like to lose. so they keep trying to win

[–][deleted] 45 points46 points  (6 children)

My grandma who had been teaching piano for 40 years, was increadible on it, had thought me how to play after she retired, who I associated with music, said one of the last times i saw her that she kinda didn't care about piano.

[–]-benyeahmin- 26 points27 points  (1 child)

"open" is the best athlete biography i have ever read.

[–]JustSomeAudioGuy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Agreed 100%. After reading it, then reading it again, I’m honestly quite surprised he’s still with us.

[–]igby1 92 points93 points  (5 children)

Half of NBA players don’t love basketball (if you believe Pat Bev)

"Most teammates I know who don't love basketball are the really f---ing good ones -- are the most skilled ones. It's the wildest s--- in the world," Beverley said. "Preparation is different when you got so much skill. You could just show up to the game and get a m-----f---ing 30, 40. That might work against other teams who aren't that good. But you can't do that in the playoffs.”

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/patrick-beverley-says-50-percent-of-nba-players-dont-love-basketball-its-the-wildest-s-in-the-world/

[–]RedSonGamble 34 points35 points  (2 children)

They say if you love what you work you’ll never work a day in your life or whatever. But the thing is instead it will just make you not love that thing anymore.

A job is a job is a job. If I worked at the blowjob and ice creaming eating factory all day eventually a time would come where I was like I just wanna go home. And the mrs is like hey honey long day at work? Let me give you some ice cream and a blowjob and I’d flip our table over and be like can’t you see blowjobs and ice cream are tearing me apart?!?!

[–]a_dot_charles 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Great read, thank you for that.

[–]the__distance 11 points12 points  (0 children)

In his autobiography he wrote that he kept doing it because he hated losing

[–]TrialAndAaron 8 points9 points  (0 children)

One of the best books I’ve ever read. I highly suggest it

[–]DerRaumdenker 15 points16 points  (3 children)

Every Professional sport has someone like this, it's inevitable statistically

[–]WhiskeyOutABizoot 16 points17 points  (2 children)

Yeah, Joey Chestnuts hates hot dogs.

[–]SoyMurcielago 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s ok Phil Kessel loves em

[–]tigro7 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Mmm reading that book, Open, didn't give me that feeling.
Sure he said that he hated tennis, but what transpires from it, is that it wsa more a love and hate cycle, like a complicated relationship that clearly ended well.

[–]DirtySingh 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah you hate your job. But did you le father groom you for your job since childhood? Did your job consume every waking moment of your childhood and adulthood? Were your pressured into being in the top 1% of people in your job? It's not the same, it's more like Michael jackson situation than people realize.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I knew it!

[–]DalvinCanCook 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s why he played on meth, made it more fun

[–]Flemtality3 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I also hate my job but I continue to do it because of family pressure and the need to survive.

[–]_who_is_they_ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So basically it was a job..

[–]sjk8990 4 points5 points  (1 child)

The big, fat paycheck lessened the sting I'm sure.

[–]Additional_Meeting_2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He wasn’t paid as a child

[–]Ok_Eggplant_7582 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Obviously, he had a horrible upbringing, but I think the whole "I hated tennis" is just his excuse for being thoroughly dominated by Samprs.

I don't care how much talent you have. You don't become a top five player if you hate it.

[–][deleted] -1 points0 points  (1 child)

Huh, kinda weird it hasn't been mentioned yet that he also did meth.

[–]thorpie88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He plays sport though. They all do meth.

[–]Elexeh -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

TIL that OP uses title case for this headline and I hate it

[–]beebs44 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://youtu.be/phla65fktSE?si=HbnYEkJCjY5UIwaR

[–]EvenSpoonier 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Damn. I guess image really is everything.

[–]biff444444 0 points1 point  (0 children)

His autobiography "Open" is probably the best sports autobiography I've ever read, and I've read a lot of them. Highly recommend.

[–]BadgerSauce 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s the same reason I still go to my parents house for Thanksgiving. He’s just like me fr fr

[–]HeelyTheGreat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In hockey we had Alexandre Daigle. First pick, had a generational level of talent, touted as the best since Gretzky... Hated the game.

[–]Blunted-Shaman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also drove him to compete professionally whilst geeked out on meth for many years without getting caught. Agassi was a fucking boss.

[–]wpbth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not everyone likes their job. He had the ability to make generational wealth.