Tennis legend Andre Agassi recently published "Open," a no-holds-barred memoir of growing up to become a reluctant champion. In an interview with Spiegel, Agassi speaks about how his father forced him to play a sport he never liked, how he used fake hair and crystal meth, and how his wife - Steffi Graf - has brought this high-flyer down to Earth.

SPIEGEL: Mr. Agassi, is it possible for a happy person to win Wimbledon?

Andre Agassi: For me, it's hard to imagine.

SPIEGEL: Roger Federer seems to actually enjoy playing.

Agassi: Yes, maybe. But, in my world, this is impossible. The maximum were short moments of peace during a match which we, the players, used to call "the Zone." But you couldn't plan it. It was never constant. And it went by very fast.

SPIEGEL: Does a tennis professional have to be obsessed? Must there be some kind of trauma for him or her to be good?

Agassi: While I was winning Wimbledon, I felt like I would die. I feared to fail; I feared embarrassment.

SPIEGEL: Are you and your wife, Steffi Graf, similar in this regard?

Agassi: Oh, no, there are a lot of differences. Stefanie is much more secure, much clearer and stronger than me.

SPIEGEL: Could you learn something from her?