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Chapter 1

Overview

Trapped on a makeshift tennis court in the Vegas heat, a seven-year-old boy wages a daily war against a ball machine he calls “the dragon,” a monstrous creation of his father, Mike. The boy’s existence is defined by a deep hatred for the game and an even deeper compulsion to play, driven by the terrifying, unpredictable presence of his father, who barks commands from behind him. Every aspect of their world is engineered for control, from the industrial blower used to herd thousands of balls to the family’s home, isolated by a wall “the color of a tennis court.” His destiny as the family’s “chosen one” was sealed before birth, making him the primary target of his father’s volatile focus.

His father is a man of violent contradictions, carrying an ax handle and haunted by childhood visions, whose rage can erupt over the smallest mistake—especially a ball hit into the net. The boy’s life becomes a split between the prison of the court and long, tense car rides to weekend tournaments, where winning is merely the expected baseline. This pressured existence culminates in a pivotal match against Jeff Tarango. After a controversial loss where his opponent cheats, the boy expects his father’s fury over the injustice. Instead, Mike is angry about the boy’s disobedience in ignoring his instructions during play. This moment sparks a profound shift: the boy’s own anger finally surpasses his fear of his father. More importantly, he concludes the loss was his own fault for being imperfect and letting the match get close enough to be stolen. In doing so, he fully internalizes his father’s voice, transforming his father’s external torture into a relentless, self-administered critic that will define him long after he leaves the court.

The Prison of Perfection

The seven-year-old narrator is trapped in a daily battle on a homemade tennis court in the Las Vegas desert, fighting a ball machine he calls “the dragon.” His internal monologue is a constant, desperate plea to quit, but an unseen force within him, coupled with his father’s terrifying presence, makes stopping impossible. This chasm between his hatred for the game and his compulsion to play feels like the core of his existence.

The Dragon and Its Master

The dragon, a modified Prince ball machine, is a monstrous creation designed by his father to be fearsome. It fires balls at 110 miles per hour from an elevated position, forcing the small boy to hit every shot on the rise. The court becomes a sea of thousands of balls, creating chaotic hops. His father, Mike, an Armenian immigrant with a fiery temper, barks constant commands from behind him: Hit earlier! Harder! Never in the net! The net, raised six inches higher than regulation, is declared the biggest enemy. The only fleeting peace comes from the rare feeling of hitting a ball "dead perfect," though the dragon immediately responds by firing the next ball faster.

A Landscape of Control and Contradiction

When the balls become too numerous, his father uses a modified industrial blower to herd them, another machine crafted for this singular purpose. The family’s isolated home, surrounded by a bright green wall "the color of a tennis court," was chosen solely for a yard large enough to build the court. The narrator helped the day laborers, like a man named Rudy, build his own "prison." His destiny was decided before he was born; his father hung tennis ball mobiles over his crib and had him hitting with pros like Jimmy Connors by age four.

The Father’s Volatile World

Mike Agassi is a figure of immense contradiction and violence. He speaks five languages poorly, violently plucks his nose hairs, and dry-shaves until he bleeds. He is perpetually prepared for battle, carrying an ax handle and pocketfuls of salt and pepper to blind opponents. He suffers from a recurring vision of a woman named Margaret, who saved him from drowning as a child. His rage is unpredictable: he shadowboxes in his sleep (often hitting his wife), smashes car headlights with his ax handle, and once knocked a truck driver unconscious in a rain-soaked street fight, all while warning his son, "Don't tell your mother." The narrator lives in a state of high alert, knowing that any error on the court—especially hitting into the net—could trigger an eruption.

The Cost of Being the "Chosen One"

The narrator’s tennis prowess comes at the expense of his schooling, a trade-off that feels like loyalty to his father. He is the youngest and most talented of the “von Trapp” tennis siblings, declared the "chosen one" and the family's "last best hope." This status earns him the bulk of his father's intense, frightening focus. At the seedy Cambridge Racquet Club, his father’s sharp whistle dictates every moment. The boy is caught between the prison of the court and the terrifying, unpredictable world of the man who built it, with no say in his own life.

Weekend Warriors and Tournament Tension

Condemned to a childhood split between the court and the car, the narrator is hauled across the southwestern deserts every weekend to compete. The drives over Hoover Dam become symbolic; he sees his father’s contained, volatile rage mirrored in the massive wall holding back the Colorado River, a pressure he knows will one day burst. Winning his first seven tournaments in the ten-and-under bracket merits no praise from his father—it’s merely the expected baseline.

A Loss and a Lasting Stain

The dynamic shifts at a tournament in San Diego against Jeff Tarango. After losing the first set, fear of his father’s wrath takes hold. Despite his father screaming instructions from the stands to stop hitting drop shots, the narrator stubbornly sticks to his flawed strategy, pushing the match to a tense, sudden-death tiebreak. He hits what he believes is a winning backhand, only for Tarango to falsely call it out, claiming victory by cheating the honor system.

The narrator’s reaction is one of pure, devastated fury. He runs away, crying, and returns to find his father angry not about the injustice, but about the disobedience of ignoring his instructions during the match. For the first time, the narrator’s own anger surpasses his fear of his father.

The Birth of an Inner Critic

The true consequence of the loss is not the blemish on his record, but a profound psychological shift. He concludes that by letting the match get close, he allowed the possibility of cheating; therefore, the loss is ultimately his fault for being imperfect. In this moment, he fully internalizes his father’s voice—the impatience, the perfectionism, the rage. The external torture is no longer necessary. He has learned to administer the punishment himself, becoming his own relentless critic and taskmaster.

Key Takeaways

• The narrator’s childhood is a pressured journey between two prisons: the tennis court and the family car, with his father’s volatile temper a constant threat.
• A controversial, cheating loss to Jeff Tarango becomes a critical trauma, shifting the narrator’s primary fear from his father’s anger to the stain of personal failure.
• This pivotal moment completes the internalization of his father’s abusive perfectionism. The narrator’s own psyche becomes the primary source of pressure and self-torture, a mechanism he will carry forward.

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Chapter 2

Overview

The narrator’s grandmother, with her sharp tongue and stories of dire poverty in Iran, casts a long shadow over the family, offering glimpses into Mike’s brutal childhood that fuel his simmering anger. His past is a tapestry of hardship and escape: from scrounging as a ball boy in Tehran to becoming an Olympic boxer, only to flee to America after a moment of failed courage at Madison Square Garden. This history of conflict and evasion hardens into a life philosophy he forces on his son, teaching him to "attack the other man’s strength" and molding him into a counterpuncher on the tennis court—a boxer with a racket.

Family life is a study in contrasts. The arrival of Uncle Isar, Mike’s gentle and patient brother, provides the narrator a respite from his father’s fury, making a painful miscalculation all the more stark when he accidentally startles Mike and is met with a full-force left hook. Seeking solace, he turns to his mother, Betty, whose endless calm and story of a sweetly persistent suitor in Chicago can’t fully soften the edges of Mike’s relentless drive. The narrator is a product of both: his softness from her, his fighting spirit from a father who sees tennis as a geometric path to the American dream, turning their home into a racket-stringing laboratory.

This obsession leads to high-stakes gambles, both literal and emotional. As a young boy, the narrator learns to hustle, but that is eclipsed when Mike risks the family’s entire savings by betting $10,000 on a match against the football legend Jim Brown. The pressure is crushing until Brown, mid-match, reduces the wager to a mere $500, an act that miraculously frees the boy’s game and allows him to claim a victory that is more about pride than money. Yet, the most significant win comes quietly soon after, when the narrator, on the verge of finally beating his father in practice, watches him simply walk off the court. That unacknowledged forfeiture is a bittersweet victory, a silent and profound moment where the son’s rising skill forces the father’s retreat, forever changing their relationship.

The Grandmother's Role and the Father's Past

The narrator’s grandmother, a sharp-tongued woman from Tehran with a prominent wart on her nose, lives with the family and exists primarily to harass his father, Mike. Her constant nagging is a source of tension, but she serves a crucial function: through her stories of their profound poverty in Iran—sleeping on dirt floors, using a communal hole for a toilet—she provides a window into Mike’s difficult childhood. These stories sometimes prompt Mike to open up about his own past.

He recalls how, after WWII, American and British soldiers in Tehran gave him candy, shoes, and his first English word: "victory." Following them led him to a park with clay tennis courts, where he became a ball boy and custodian, earning an old wooden racket in lieu of pay. With no other tennis players in Iran, he turned to boxing, where his simmering rage became an asset. He became a skilled fighter, competing for Iran in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, though he claims biased judging prevented his success.

Boxing and Escape Artistry

Unable to return to his impoverished life after the Olympics, Mike doctored his passport and fled to the United States, Americanizing his name on arrival. In Chicago, he worked as an elevator operator and boxed under champion Tony Zale, who praised his talent but urged him to "hit harder." After winning the Chicago Golden Gloves, Mike secured a fight at Madison Square Garden, but when a last-minute substitution pitted him against a superior opponent, his courage failed. He crawled out a bathroom window and fled, adding "sneaking out of the Garden" to his history of escape.

This boxing philosophy deeply informs his approach to tennis, which he imparts to his son. His core strategy is to "attack the other man’s strength" to "rip the heart right out of him," a tactic he calls "putting a blister on the other guy's brain." This mindset shapes the narrator into a counterpuncher—a boxer with a tennis racket.

Uncle Isar and a Painful Mistake

Mike often longs for his older brother, Isar, still in Iran. As revolution brews, Isar secretly converts his savings to jewels and mails them to the family in Las Vegas hidden in food packages. Eventually, Isar himself arrives on their doorstep. He is Mike's physical mirror but his temperamental opposite: gentle, patient, and funny. The narrator adores him, finding relief in his calm help with homework, a stark contrast to Mike’s furious tutoring style.

One day, the narrator hides behind the door to jump out and surprise Isar, as is their ritual. He miscalculates, however, and leaps out at his father instead. Startled, Mike instinctively throws a left hook that sends the boy flying. After being sent to his room, the narrator is soon summoned to the tennis court to "face the dragon." Hitting balls with a throbbing jaw, he finally rebels, intentionally smashing a ball high over the fence.

The Mother's Calm and the Parents' History

Seeking comfort, the narrator finds his mother, Betty, reading in her room. He asks why his father is so mean, and she explains that Mike "doesn't know any better" and wants what's best for them. The narrator feels both grateful for her endless calm and subtly betrayed by it, seeing her refusal to intervene as a weakness, though he acknowledges any softness in him comes from her. Her rare outbursts are spectacular but brief, after which she returns to her jigsaw puzzles of idyllic Norman Rockwell scenes—images of family order that contrast sharply with their reality.

He asks how she ever married his father. She recounts how a sweet, persistent Mike courted her in Chicago, wooing her with long drives and his life story. Mesmerized by her beauty, he convinced her to elope. They drove to Los Angeles and then to Las Vegas, where she got a stable government job and he worked multiple jobs, eventually settling as a casino captain at the MGM Grand. The narrator was a surprise baby, born after doctors initially suggested a hysterectomy. Mike named him Andre Kirk Agassi after his casino bosses, a fact his mother cannot explain.

The Father's Obsession and a Hustle with Jim Brown

Tennis is Mike’s consuming passion. Their house is a laboratory, with a stringing machine on the kitchen table, dissected rackets on the counter, and even tennis balls cut in half and glued to their shoes for extra toe protection. He sees tennis as a perfect geometry and the quickest route to the American dream, a belief cemented after seeing the winner’s prize of a wheelbarrow of silver dollars at the Alan King Tennis Classic.

When the narrator is nearly nine, Mike gets him a job as a ball boy for that tournament. The boy falls for a ball girl named Wendi. While hitting with the champion Ilie Nastase, the Romanian embarrasses him by teasing him about Wendi in front of a crowd. Humiliated, the narrator drops his racket and walks off the court, an act of defiance that makes his father beam with pride.

The narrator also learns to hustle, using a routine taught by his brother Philly to lure older players into money matches. This side business is eclipsed, however, when Mike orchestrates a high-stakes hustle of his own. At their tennis club, he overhears football legend Jim Brown complaining about a missed money match. Mike immediately offers his nine-year-old son as an opponent. After Brown scoffs, Mike proposes a $10,000 bet and rushes home to get the cash from the family safe. The narrator is left waiting, weighed down by the terrifying pressure of his family’s entire savings riding on his next match.

The Showdown with Mr. Brown

The narrator is abruptly awakened by his father for an impromptu match against Jim Brown, the legendary football player. The stakes feel immense—not just the family’s savings, but the need to defend his father’s honor, as Jim Brown had disrespected him. The pressure is unlike any before, making a Wimbledon final seem preferable. Brown sizes up the young player, asking about endurance and strategy, clearly game-planning. Mr. Fong, the club owner, tries to warn Brown he’s making a mistake, but the bet is on.

The match plays out over three sets. Despite a churning stomach and intense pressure, the narrator wins the first two sets 6-3. As the decisive third set approaches, Jim Brown renegotiates the bet down from $10,000 to a mere $500. This sudden reduction floods the narrator with relief, freeing his game. Unburdened by the financial weight, he plays effortlessly, defeating Brown’s trick shots and strategic lobs to win the final set 6-2. A gracious but sweating Brown pays up and acknowledges the boy's formidable talent, asking about his dreams. The narrator’s father interjects to declare his son’s future as world number one.

A Bittersweet Victory Over a Father

Following the high-stakes match, the narrator practices with his father at Caesars. For the first time ever, he is on the verge of beating him, leading 5-2 and serving for the match. His father’s anguish is palpable. Rather than face defeat, the father simply walks off the court, refusing to finish, and tells his son to leave. In that moment, the narrator understands they will never play again. The act of packing his racket brings not anger, but a profound thrill. This silent, unacknowledged victory over his father surpasses the win against Jim Brown or any material prize. It is the win that finally made his father retreat from him.

Key Takeaways

• High-pressure situations can be paradoxically resolved by a shift in stakes; the narrator’s game soared when the financial pressure was removed.
• Respect and pride can be more powerful motivators than money, as the match against Jim Brown was fundamentally about defending family honor.
• The most significant victories are often personal and unspoken. The father’s unwillingness to be defeated by his son marks a pivotal, bittersweet end to their competitive relationship and represents a complex, emotional triumph for the narrator.

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Chapter 3

Overview

This chapter delves into the intense emotional landscape of Andre's childhood, framed by pivotal losses and the overwhelming pressure from his father. It explores the conflicting messages he receives about competition, family loyalty, and self-worth, introducing key figures who offer temporary solace or deepen his turmoil. The narrative traces his desperate search for approval and identity within the rigid, often brutal, system his father has constructed.

A profound moment of defeat at a national tournament leads to a chance encounter with a stranger named Rudy in the parking lot. Unlike his father, Rudy offers compassionate, encouraging words. He reframes the loss as future motivation, telling Andre that the pain means he cares and can use it as fuel. His warm, fatherly tone provides a stark contrast to what Andre normally experiences, momentarily renewing his desire to practice. The moment is fleeting, however, as the heavy silence of the car ride home with his father immediately reasserts the oppressive atmosphere.

The Shattered Trophy At another national event, after a devastating loss to his archnemesis, Andre is unexpectedly awarded a sportsmanship trophy for his grace in defeat. A small part of him begins to feel proud of this acknowledgement. Trying to anticipate his father’s reaction, he mutters that he doesn’t want the "stupid thing." His father violently seizes the trophy, smashes it on the cement, and throws the pieces in a dumpster. This act crushes not just the trophy, but Andre’s nascent feeling that there might be value in anything other than winning.

The End of Soccer Andre finds fleeting joy and camaraderie playing soccer, a team sport where the pressure feels shared and the stakes are lower. When an injury from soccer threatens his tennis, his father’s disapproval is palpable. During a game, his father storms the field, forces him to quit, and makes him change into his tennis clothes in the car. He throws Andre’s soccer uniform at the coach and declares, "You're never playing soccer again." This extinguishes Andre’s one outlet for normal childhood fun and solidifies his sentence to the lonely, high-stakes world of tennis.

Philly: The "Born Loser" and Protector The chapter deepens its exploration of family dynamics through Andre’s relationship with his older brother, Philly. Their father has labeled Philly a "born loser" for his lack of a "killer instinct" and his tendency to accept bad calls without argument. Andre witnesses the psychological toll this takes, as his father verbally and sometimes physically gangs up on Philly after losses. Despite this, Philly remains gentle and protective of Andre, sharing a bedroom divided by a painted line where they hold whispered nighttime conversations. Philly becomes Andre’s confidant and early warning system, specifically advising him to never take the tiny white "speed" pills their father might offer before a match.

The Pill and a Bitter Victory Phil’s warning proves prophetic. At a tournament in Chicago, their father gives Andre a small white pill. Remembering his brother’s advice, Andre takes it but deliberately plays poorly, then claims the pill made him feel shaky. The strategy works, and his father agrees not to try it again. This secret victory bonds the brothers. Later, however, Andre must play Philly in a practice match. Out of pity and love, he carries his brother, making the match seem close, but still wins. Seeing Philly’s devastation, Andre is left feeling confused and hollow, wondering if his own compassion means he, too, lacks the necessary killer instinct.

Key Takeaways

• External pressure can eclipse internal motivation, as seen when Andre’s father destroys the sportsmanship trophy, invalidating any value besides victory.
• Siblings can form crucial alliances in dysfunctional families; Philly’s protection and advice provide Andre with his first lessons in covert resistance.
• The line between necessary competitiveness and destructive cruelty is constantly blurred, leaving Andre to question his own instincts and emotions.
• Small acts of kindness from outsiders, like Rudy’s, offer temporary relief but ultimately highlight the absence of consistent, nurturing support in Andre’s life.

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Chapter 4

Overview

The chapter captures a pivotal period of early adolescence, centering on the rapid, deep friendship formed with Perry Rogers after a tense first meeting at a junior tennis tournament. This bond becomes Andre's primary emotional outlet and refuge from his father's intensity. However, the chapter concludes with a seismic shift: his father's decision to send him away to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, framing it as a necessary sacrifice for his future, which fills Andre with a profound sense of abandonment.

A Rocky Start and an Unexpected Peace Treaty

After a frustrating tournament loss to Roddy Parks, Andre is angrily packing up when he’s approached by Perry Rogers, who offers unsolicited and unwelcome consolation. Andre rudely dismisses him, leading to a rumor that Perry is now seeking revenge. Andre strategically defuses the situation by inviting Perry to sit with him and his sister Tami at a horror movie. During Visiting Hours, Andre observes that while he freezes when scared, Perry is jumpy and reactive—a detail he files away but doesn’t mock, wanting to keep the peace. The truce is solidified afterward over donuts at Winchell’s, where Perry wins Andre over with a brilliantly funny observation about the locks on the 24-hour shop’s door, revealing a shared, quirky way of seeing the world.

The Birth of a Deep Friendship

A sleepover at Andre’s house cements their connection. They bond over horror movies (noting Perry’s paradoxical fear levels) and, most importantly, over their difficult fathers. Perry introduces Andre to the word “narcissist” and describes a father who sees him as property and doesn’t love him, which strikes Andre as both familiar and more tragic than his own situation. They have profound conversations about choice, identity, and the future, making a solemn pact to never do drugs or drink and to help the world when they’re rich. Andre, who has spending money from his father and casino hustling, happily becomes Perry’s financier, buying him countless Chipwich ice cream sandwiches during their daily post-practice trips to 7-Eleven.

Perry’s World and a Minor Betrayal

Andre is stunned to discover Perry comes from extreme wealth when his mother picks him up in a Rolls-Royce. Perry’s casual attitude about it—"You never asked"—defines richness for Andre. Visiting Perry’s mansion, complete with a sports-covered bedroom and a dedicated game wing, is a culture shock. Their friendship is briefly tested when Andre returns from a successful month-long junior tournament tour in Australia. Guilt-ridden, he confesses to Perry that he broke their pact by drinking four celebratory beers. Perry is disappointed but philosophical, and Andre realizes their pact was essentially a vow to “raise each other” in the absence of good fathers. While sorry for breaking the promise, he doesn’t regret exercising free will.

The Exile

The chapter’s mood shifts dramatically when Andre’s father announces he must leave home to attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. His father frames it as an investment, admitting he has nothing left to teach Andre and doesn’t want to ruin him as he did his older siblings. Though presented as a three-month opportunity, the cost is staggering for the family. Andre’s mother subtly indicates this is for his own protection. A goodbye party at Cambridge is filled with forced cheer. As departure nears, Andre is consumed by homesickness and a heartbreaking contradiction: he desperately wanted freedom from his father, but now feels utterly abandoned by him. On the drive to the airport with his father and a chattering, anxious Perry, Andre mirrors his instinctive reaction to fear—he freezes.

Key Takeaways

• Andre and Perry’s friendship is founded on a deep understanding of each other’s familial pain and a shared, thoughtful perspective on the world. Perry becomes Andre’s first true confidant and strategic thinker.
• The relationship highlights class disparity, with Perry’s oblivious wealth contrasting sharply with Andre’s hustled income, yet it never becomes a point of contention between them.
• Andre’s trip to Australia represents his first significant experience of independence and conscious choice, even when it means breaking a solemn vow.
• His father’s decision to send him to Bollettieri’s is framed as an act of love and sacrifice, but it feels to Andre like a rejection, complicating his feelings about his father’s control and presence.
• The chapter ends on a note of profound loss and anxiety, as Andre is sent away from his newfound emotional support system into an unknown, regimented future.

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