Hi there, it’s Jill!

Recently, I finished reading Open, the autobiography of Andre Agassi — an American former professional tennis player, Olympic gold medalist, and former world No.1 in men’s singles.

Before I opened the book, I assumed it would be a familiar story: an athlete driven by passion, disciplined training, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

What I didn’t expect was something far more human 🎯.

Agassi’s story is not simply about winning titles or perfecting technique. It is about contradiction, burnout, and — most importantly — the possibility of rebuilding meaning after years of internal struggle. By the time I reached the final chapters, my understanding of tennis, success, and personal purpose had subtly shifted.

Let’s dive in.

Unlike most biographies of elite performers, Agassi repeatedly states something that feels almost shocking:

I hate tennis.

This sentiment appears again and again throughout the book.

Agassi’s relationship with tennis began long before he had a choice. His father, a former Olympic boxer, recognized his talent early and built a tennis court in their backyard. There, Agassi trained daily against a custom-built ball machine — nicknamed “the Dragon” — which fired hundreds of balls at him at high speed. The method was brutal, and relentless, but it shaped him into one of the greatest returners in the history of the sport.

Strict discipline. Little freedom. Constant pressure.

Despite reaching the highest level of professional tennis, Agassi often describes the sport as a prison.

Reading this forced me to confront an uncomfortable idea: you do not have to love something to become exceptional at it 🚀.

Agassi clearly had natural ability, but talent alone does not explain his dominance. His success came from years of structured effort, repetition, and resilience, even when motivation was absent.

In a culture that encourages us to “follow our passion” as early as possible, his story offers a more nuanced truth: If you discover something you are good at, committing to it seriously can open doors you never anticipated.

And sometimes, playing the cards you’ve been dealt well matters more than constantly searching for new ones.

One of the most pivotal moments in Agassi’s career came through his partnership with coach Brad Gilbert.

Gilbert identified Agassi’s greatest weakness: perfectionism.

“You’re chasing something that doesn’t exist,” Gilbert told him. “And it’s making you miserable.”

He reframed the entire game in the simplest terms: to win a Grand Slam, you only need to win 21 matches. That’s it. Not perfection. Not dominance. Just 21 matches 🏆!

The instruction was clear: stop obsessing over flawless shots. Start playing the game that is actually in front of you.

This insight resonated deeply with me.

So often, especially early in our careers, we exhaust ourselves trying to optimize every detail, prove ourselves repeatedly, or meet invisible standards. The cost is high: mental fatigue, self-doubt, and diminishing returns.

Progress does not require perfection. You don’t need to outperform everyone. You only need to engage fully with the challenge and respond well to what is immediately within our control.

Between 1997 and 1999, Andre Agassi hit what many assumed was the end of the road. Injuries accumulated. Confidence eroded. His ranking fell to No.141 in the world — an almost unimaginable position for a former world No.1.

At the elite level of professional sports, setbacks are never just technical. They carry chronic pain, travel relentlessly, and compete under constant comparison.

What makes resilience at this level extraordinary is that recovery requires far more than motivation. It requires humility. Agassi stepped away from prestige and returned to the Challenger circuit — lower-profile tournaments, fewer spectators, and no guarantees. He trained without applause, rebuilt his fundamentals, and accepted progress measured in inches rather than trophies.

He made it back to the top of the list.

This lesson extends far beyond sports. In our careers and lives, starting over often looks like failure from the outside. But in reality, it is one of the most demanding forms of progress. It asks us to release status, tolerate uncertainty, and trust that steady effort will eventually compound💡.

You may excel at something you don’t love. You may love something that doesn’t immediately reward you. Both paths can teach you what you need to know.

Agassi’s greatest victory proves that a reset is not an ending. It is often the moment where real strength begins. In the meantime, what matters is whether we remain honest, adaptable as we evolve.

— Jill

Founder of Anchor Growth Newsletter

Deel’s latest policy template on IT Equipment Policies can help HR teams stay organized when handling requests across time zones (and even languages). This free template gives you:

This free equipment provisioning policy will enable you to adjust to any state or country you hire from instead of producing a new policy every time. That means less complexity and more time for greater priorities.

Get the template for free today.

“When I first opened Attio, I instantly got the feeling this was the next generation of CRM.”
— Margaret Shen, Head of GTM at Modal

Attio is the AI-native CRM for modern teams. With automatic enrichment, call intelligence, AI agents, flexible workflows and more, Attio works for any business and only takes minutes to set up.

Join industry leaders like Granola, Taskrabbit, Flatfile and more.

👉 Start for free today