"I wanted to be the harshest on myself" - When Andre Agassi revealed whether his candid autobiography had cost him any friends

Andre Agassi once opened up about whether the startling revelations in his autobiography cost him any friendships. The former World No. 1 asserted that his goal was to tell the truth about his journey, but clarified that he wanted to be the most critical of himself rather than others.

Agassi retired from professional tennis in 2006, having won eight Major titles, completed the career Grand Slam, and spent 101 weeks as World No. 1. In 2009, the American chronicled his journey in his memoir 'Open,' candidly writing about his drug use, his first marriage to actress Brooke Shields, his relationships with his rivals, and his family with wife Steffi Graf.

Despite his frankness, Andre Agassi revealed that his personal relationships hadn't suffered because of his efforts to consult the people he was writing about during the process. He also said that his intention was to be the "harshest" on himself and expressed his belief that this sentiment wouldn't be lost on readers.

"As far as the personal relationships go, no, I included everybody in the process that I care greatly about as it relates to navigating our relationship. The rest, you are sort of obligated to tell the truth of how you see something or not do it. I wanted to be the harshest on myself, and I think I was and I think anybody who chooses to read it will conclude that," Agassi said.

Despite his efforts, Andre Agassi did manage to offend Pete Sampras with an anecdote about how the 14-time Grand Slam champion was a poor tipper. As a result, the two rivals even got into a war of words in full view of the public while sharing the court with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Andre Agassi: "I’ve gone from hating this game for most of my life... I actually enjoy it more now"

Andre Agassi - Source: Getty

The "biggest controversy" of Andre Agassi's book came on the very first page as he revealed that he had always "hated" tennis. However, the American's sentiments had changed over the years.

In the New York Times interview, Agassi disclosed that he had gone from hating the sport to appreciating it for allowing him to meet the love of his life, Steffi Graf, and giving him the freedom to focus on raising his children after retirement.

"I can truly say I’ve gone from hating this game for most of my life and most of my career to it giving me my school, to it giving me my wife, to then it giving me a chance to raise my children, to it giving me a chance to actually sit down and watch it without stressing it, without worry about it, without having to answer for it. So I actually enjoy it more now and every day it’s grown since I’ve been 27 years old," Agassi said.

Andre Agassi has also described his book as a "love letter" to Graf and their kids, disclosing that he wanted his children to have an understanding of his life before them.