Jennifer Capriati sent to hospital for Drug Abuse: Accidental or Intentional?
Just two days ago, on the 27th of June, the former world number one and American tennis player Jennifer Capriati was rushed to the hospital due to what was identified as an apparent drug overdose. The call for an ambulance for the tennis player was made from a hotel in Riviera Beach, Florida, from where she was immediately taken to a nearby hospital. Her recovery is in process and her father claims that she will be better in no time. She is now said to be in a stable condition. The OD is said to have been accidental; but incidents in her past speak otherwise.
It is disheartening to hear about the present condition of the former tennis champion but it is also known that this is not the first time she has been involved in such a crisis. Capriati has had a record of personal problems in the past. In 1993, she was arrested for shoplifting a pair of sunglasses from a shopping mall in Florida. In the following year, she was arrested once again, this time for the possession of marijuana, after which she voluntarily admitted herself in a drug rehabilitation centre where she stayed for at least a week. A week before this arrest, she had claimed to be at a weekend party where she had been using cocaine and heroin. Her drug problem was said to be due to the pressure of playing professional tennis. Hence, there was a two year gap in Capriati’s career and she made a comeback in the professional world of tennis in 2006.
Jennifer Capriati, without a doubt, had an excellent tennis career at her time. She was the youngest tennis player to ever win the French Open junior singles title just at the age of thirteen. During her professional tennis career, Capriati managed to win 14 professional singles and 1 doubles title. She also won the Olympic Gold Medal for the women’s singles tournament in 1992. She played her last match in late 2004 in Philadelphia.
The tennis player had to stop playing tennis due to a major arthroscopic surgery on her shoulder in 2005. She still had hopes of making a come-back after the first surgery, but as the problem of her shoulder persisted, her hope of playing tennis gradually subsided. In 2007, when she had her third surgery, her retirement was confirmed.
After retirement from her professional career in tennis, the world class player suffered from a major depression. She admitted this to the New York Daily Times in July 2007 where she said that she was suffering from depression and was also having suicidal thoughts. Her reign as a tennis superstar had ended and she could not handle it too well. She claimed that tennis was everything she had and that it defined her and that without tennis, she had nothing in life. It is possible that the recent OD faced by her is due to her ongoing mid-life crisis.
This has not been the first time a celebrity has been rushed to the hospital after a severe drug overdose. In fact, it has become quite frequent that popular athletes, movie stars and singers are indulging in drug abuse. There have been numerous incidents such as this in the past. It seems like once a person delves into fame and glamour, it becomes difficult to let go of it and all a person wants is more. Jennifer Capriati, one out of the many celebrities who have had problems in their life, has not found it easy to give up her well established career in tennis. Even though her OD is said to have been accidental, it is more than likely that it has been intentional, since she may still be suffering from depression. However, nothing can be said at the moment until the former tennis player gains her health back completely.
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