First photo: David Foster Wallace on what tennis fans want to know about the champions.

2 and 3: Andre Agassi on winning his first major

4: Pete Sampras on winning his first major

This is why Agassi’s autobiography was a much better read than Sampras’s, imo. I want to know every detail of how it felt to win a major. Agassi delivers, and makes himself sound mortal while doing so. In Sampras’s case, he might as well have been describing acing a test.

This has nothing to do with quality of tennis, of course. Sampras was a better player.

The only detail Sampras gives of his celebration is “I put my arms in the air”. Agassi not only describes the shots and celebration, but the emotion he feels, and that, as a tennis fan, is what I want to read.

Agassi’s autobiography, Open, is filled with emotion and feeling, while Sampras makes his legendary achievements sound almost normal.

I guess the point of this thread is to recommend that if you want to get a look inside a tennis legend’s head, read Agassi’s memoir. If you want to read about a tennis legend summarizing their career, read Sampras’s memoir. Personally, I enjoyed reading the former much more.