Jennifer Capriati: American Tennis Prodigy, Power Player and Comeback Kid
Born on March 29th, 1976, in New York, USA, Jennifer Capriati’s family background ensured her acumen as a tennis player would not go unexploited. Capriati’s father, Stefano, a self-taught tennis pro, and mother, Denise, both played tennis at the club level. Stefano took charge of his daughter’s tennis training, and Jennifer inaugurated her professional career in March 1990 at the age of 13. The American participated in her first Grand Slam event at the 1990 French Open, where she battled all the way to the semifinals before crashing out to the great Monica Seles. Her debut year as a professional witnessed Capriati take the 1990 WTA title in Puerto Rico, and she concluded the season ranked number 8 in the world. These successes saw the youthful Capriati establish a number of “youngest ever” records.
Capriati used the following 1991 season to further consolidate her position as an emerging force to be reckoned with. She produced solid showing at the quartet of Grand Slams, making it to the semifinals of the U.S. Open and Wimbledon. The American also sealed two WTA singles titles in addition to a doubles title at the Italian Open. In 1992, Capriati distinguished herself at the Barcelona Olympics by overcoming Germany’s Steffi Graf to take the gold medal. She managed to make it into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, wrapping up the season’s campaign ranked world number 7.
During the 1993 run, Capriati’s most distinctive result was perhaps the win in Sydney and as the season was coming to a close, the American made up her mind on a hiatus from the professional game. In 1996, after almost two years of inactivity, Capriati made it to the final of the tournament in Chicago after seeing off Monica Seles on the way, but eventually fell to Jana Novotna in three sets. Her progress during the 1997 and 1998 campaigns was far from spectacular, and she enjoyed fairly lukewarm success over the period.
The 1999 competition witnessed Capriati’s hit her best form in years. She took the singles titles in Strasbourg and Quebec City, and her performance at the Grand Slams saw considerable improvement, assisting her ascendency up the WTA world rankings order. The following year, Capriati made it to the semifinals of the Australian Open, where she lost to a fired up Lindsay Davenport. Injuries then halted her progress for some time, and Capriati returned later in the season to grab the Luxembourg trophy, marking the 9th title win of her career. The American was also able to book a place at the Quebec City finals and the semifinals in Zurich. Capriati also assisted the U.S. in its year 2000 Fed Cup victory, where the team overcame Spain in the finals.
In 2001, Capriati’s strong displays continued and she won the year’s Australian Open to book the first Grand Slam singles title of her career. The American also made it to the finals of the Cellular Cup, the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the 2001 Miami and Berlin events. After triumphing at the Family Circle Cup at Charleston, Capriati then marched on to the second Grand Slam singles title of her career at the 2001 French Open, where she overcame the likes of Serena Williams, Martina Hingis and Justine Henin en route to the trophy at Roland Garros. She became only the fifth woman in the history of tennis to have achieved back-to-back wins at the Australian and French Opens. She ended the year ranked world number two, also having made it to the semifinals of the US Open and Wimbledon.
The following year, Capriati successfully guarded her Australian Open title from the previous season and also made to the semifinals of the French Open and quarterfinals of the U.S. Open and Wimbledon Grand Slam events. After clinching a handful of other singles WTA titles, the American wrapped up the 2002 campaign as world number 3. Hampered by eye surgery, Capriati’s only title during the 2003 run came in New Haven, Connecticut. Injuries dogged much of the American’s 2004 season, though she did make it into the semifinals of the U.S. Open and French Open, as well the quarterfinal and semifinal stages of several other WTA tournaments. Fitness issues have since forced Capriati into a leave from tennis. Although yet to announce her official farewell from tennis, many regard Capriati to have retired from professional tennis. The American recently made an appearance at the ABC (American Broadcasting Company) television reality show, “The Superstars.”
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