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

Thursday, 11 May 2023 at 01:00

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.

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"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!”"

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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."

Arthur Ajayi

Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.

As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.

With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.

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