The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
katreadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
Pete comes off as a little arrogant, but what else can you expect from someone as great as he is! All in all, very insightful and lots of good life lessons. But as a tennis player, I may be biased. :)
nonabgo's review against another edition
3.0
I judge all biographies by Andre Agassi's [b:Open|6480781|Open|Andre Agassi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320520930l/6480781._SX50_.jpg|6672023] and so far nothing seems to beat that. Of course, these people are sports players, not writers, but the minute you decide to write a book, you will be judged by style as much as by content.
Sampras's book is just like Sampras - cold, distant, completely lacking emotion. Here and there. there may be a passage where he shows something other than his usual detached attitude, but those are rare and precious moments. The entire book is a very realistic and mechanical approach on tennis.
That's not a bad thing, as sports books go. I gave this book 3 stars particularly for this reason - it talks about the sport more than other biographies (Monica Seles' comes to mind since it's the latest I've read, and it's a hot mess of anything other than tennis). The tennis part I likes quite a lot - Sampras shows to be a good analyst and it's great to get a glimpse of how he thinks, how he analysed his opponents and his step by step journey towards greatness.
But he is quite the arrogant ass throughout the entire book and it is hard to see him as anything else that the cold distant player who somehow managed to put everything else aside in order to break records. I admit I have never liked him as a player and this book does nothing to change my impression - he's too inhuman for my tastes. I guess it's hard to like someone as long as you idolise his rival - and I completely idolise Andre Agassi. But I would have hoped to at least soften my view on him, which did not happen.
I hate how he continued to refer to himself as a champion, superhuman, god. He is great, yes, but a little humility did not kill anyone. I also hate how he did nothing to allow us to snoop behind the curtains. He remains on a pedestal even after this "confession".
But from a tennis fan perspective, this book is a gem. It's a cold analysis of the game in his era and of most important tennis players whom he encountered during his career. Very much a book for tennis fans and Sampras fans, but people who just want to know about the man, not the game will be quite disappointed.
Sampras's book is just like Sampras - cold, distant, completely lacking emotion. Here and there. there may be a passage where he shows something other than his usual detached attitude, but those are rare and precious moments. The entire book is a very realistic and mechanical approach on tennis.
That's not a bad thing, as sports books go. I gave this book 3 stars particularly for this reason - it talks about the sport more than other biographies (Monica Seles' comes to mind since it's the latest I've read, and it's a hot mess of anything other than tennis). The tennis part I likes quite a lot - Sampras shows to be a good analyst and it's great to get a glimpse of how he thinks, how he analysed his opponents and his step by step journey towards greatness.
But he is quite the arrogant ass throughout the entire book and it is hard to see him as anything else that the cold distant player who somehow managed to put everything else aside in order to break records. I admit I have never liked him as a player and this book does nothing to change my impression - he's too inhuman for my tastes. I guess it's hard to like someone as long as you idolise his rival - and I completely idolise Andre Agassi. But I would have hoped to at least soften my view on him, which did not happen.
I hate how he continued to refer to himself as a champion, superhuman, god. He is great, yes, but a little humility did not kill anyone. I also hate how he did nothing to allow us to snoop behind the curtains. He remains on a pedestal even after this "confession".
But from a tennis fan perspective, this book is a gem. It's a cold analysis of the game in his era and of most important tennis players whom he encountered during his career. Very much a book for tennis fans and Sampras fans, but people who just want to know about the man, not the game will be quite disappointed.
iharley's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed the book. Having read it after Andre's it just reinforced the contrasts of styles between the 2 that was noticeable throughout their careers. Much more straight forward, where Andre's was more dramatic. A great glimpse of someone that wasn't very public during his career.
meaganchurch's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly, not the most thrilling read (especially compared to Agassi's book), but I am a Pete fan through-and-through, so I enjoyed a peek inside his introverted mind.
venkyloquist's review against another edition
4.0
Pete Sampras - A legend with a hangdog expression calmly decimating his foes on the court with utter disdain. What is it that lies behind this poker faced demeanor and the unblinking exterior that put paid hopes to the plotting of an Agassi, the passion of a Becker and the penchant of a Safin?
In this riveting autobiography, Pete Sampras with the able assistance of Peter Bodo bares it all. What he has to say jolts the reader out of his reverie! Pete Sampras is a bundle of raw emotions, as vulnerable as his opponents and as prone to mental turmoil as any other sportsman. But what makes him stand apart from his contemporaries, peers and past masters is an unrelenting determination to make the grade and stay on top!
The book is a refreshing work of honesty. Whether while articulating his legendary rivalry with Andre Agassi, or laying out the low down concerning his relationship with his eccentric first coach Pete Fischer (who ultimately was sentenced on the grounds of child molestation), Sampras is the epitome of frankness and forthrightness. The tempestuous events surrounding Tim Gullickson's untimely death and Sampras's dating his soon-to-be wife Bridgette Wilson all make for some memorable reading.
An indispensable read for every Sampras fan!
In this riveting autobiography, Pete Sampras with the able assistance of Peter Bodo bares it all. What he has to say jolts the reader out of his reverie! Pete Sampras is a bundle of raw emotions, as vulnerable as his opponents and as prone to mental turmoil as any other sportsman. But what makes him stand apart from his contemporaries, peers and past masters is an unrelenting determination to make the grade and stay on top!
The book is a refreshing work of honesty. Whether while articulating his legendary rivalry with Andre Agassi, or laying out the low down concerning his relationship with his eccentric first coach Pete Fischer (who ultimately was sentenced on the grounds of child molestation), Sampras is the epitome of frankness and forthrightness. The tempestuous events surrounding Tim Gullickson's untimely death and Sampras's dating his soon-to-be wife Bridgette Wilson all make for some memorable reading.
An indispensable read for every Sampras fan!
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