Agassi ghostwriter looks back on being snubbed during talk show: "Say my name! Say my f**king name"

Retired tennis star Andre Agassi was known for his outgoing and sometimes eccentric nature on and off the court, and the ghostwriter of his autobiography confirms this as he recalled a moment where he was snubbed by the American during a late-night talk show.

JR Moehringer, who ghostwrote Agassi's autobiography 'Open,' recently spoke about a night where he turned on the TV to see Agassi appearing on a talk show and being his usual charming and humble self.

"There was Andre Agassi, on a late-night talk show," said Moehringer in an interview with The New Yorker. "The host was praising “Open,” and Agassi was being his typical charming, humble self. Now the host was praising the writing. Agassi continued to be humble. Thank you, thank you."

Moehringer was hoping Agassi would mention his name during the interview, as the former World No.1 had actually offered to but his name on the book, to which the writer politely declined. However, Agassi made no attempt to inform the host it was the ghostwriter who had done most of the writing, which caused him to yell obscenities at the television.

"But I dared to hope he might mention . . . me? An indefensible, illogical hope: Andre Agassi had asked me to put my name on the cover, and I’d declined," admitted Moehringer. "Nevertheless, right before zonking out, I started muttering at the TV, “Say my name.” I got a bit louder. “Say my name!” I got pretty rowdy. “Say my f**king name!”"

However, this outburst led the writer to realize he was focused on his own narcissism. The revelation allowed him to come to the conclusion that he needed to rediscover his passion, which was writing his own books.

I took it as a lesson," reflected Moehringer. "NyQuil was to blame, but also creeping narcissism. The gods were admonishing me: You can’t be Mister Rogers while ghosting the book and John McEnroe when it’s done. I drove away from Vermont with newfound clarity. I’m not cut out for this ghostwriting thing. I needed to get back to my first love, journalism, and to writing my own books."