Gabby Thomas: The memoir nerd who can’t stop raving about Andre Agassi’s Open

Olympic champion Gabby Thomas opened up about her interest in reading, especially autobiographies. She mentioned it’s her favourite book genre, and that the best she has ever read is Open by tennis legend Andre Agassi.

Agassi is regarded as one of the most iconic athletes in history, and his autobiography Open is celebrated for its impact far beyond the tennis world. Widely considered one of the most self-reflective and motivational books ever written by an athlete, it gave fans a candid look at Agassi’s life beyond the court, revealing the struggles and conflicts he faced during his career. Agassi was the first male player in history to achieve the “Super Slam”, winning all four Grand Slams, Olympic gold and the year-end championship.

Speaking recently on The Squeeze podcast, Gabby Thomas shared her obsession with reading other people’s life stories, admitting she doesn’t read fiction anymore. She called Agassi’s memoir the “best of all time” and revealed that she’s currently reading Keke Palmer’s autobiography.

“I’m a big autobiography nerd. It’s probably my number one book genre. I don’t even read fiction anymore. I’m just obsessed with other people’s life stories. Best of all time is Open by Andre Agassi. I think it’s truly the best memoir. It’s incredible. Highly recommend. I’m reading Keke Palmer’s right now.” (2:42 onwards)

Thomas was last seen in action at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships, where she finished third in the 200m with a time of 22.20s, securing her place on Team USA for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Melissa Jefferson won the event, with Anavia Battle finishing second.

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Gabby Thomas shares what the title of her autobiography would be

2025 USATF Outdoor Championships - Source: Getty

Gabby Thomas is already one of track and field’s standout athletes. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she claimed three gold medals - in the 200m, women’s 4x400m relay and women’s 4x100m relay. Her 200m victory made her the first American woman to win the event at the Olympics since Allyson Felix in 2012.

At just 27, Thomas has achieved more than most athletes dream of. In the above-mentioned interview, when asked what the title of her autobiography would be, she responded (2:29 onwards):

“I think, off the bat, it would be something like Stronger. It definitely speaks to what I do, fitness and sports , but also to resilience, growing through different stages of life, and coming back stronger. So, that would be it.”

Gabby Thomas will next compete at the 2025 World Championships. At the 2023 Worlds, she won silver in the 200m and gold in the 4x100m relay.