Jennifer Capriati Biography - Tennis Prodigy, Teenage Sensation, Won Olympic Gold, Chronology, Burned Out, Returned To Tennis - CONTACT INFORMATION
player grand reach slam
1976-
American tennis player
Jennifer Capriati took the tennis world by storm in 1990 when she became the youngest player to ever reach a final of a professional tennis tournament just shy of her fourteenth birthday. She was the youngest ever player to reach the semifinals of the major tournaments and the youngest ever player to be ranked in the top ten. Capriati's initial success, however, was short-lived. The rebellious teenager quit tennis at age 17. After battling drugs, legal problems, and her parents' divorce, a more mature Capriati returned to the tennis scene in 1996 at age 20. By 2001 Capriati dominated women's tennis, winning two Grand Slam titles and reaching the number one ranking. Capriati added a third Grand Slam title to her career in 2002 and she continues to be a leading player in women's tennis.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: International Management Group, 22 E 71st St, New York, NY, 10021-4975.
Sketch by Janet P. Stamatel
Additional Topics
Jennifer Maria Capriati was born on March 29, 1976 in New York, New York. Her mother, Denise, is a New York native who worked as a flight attendant for Pan Am airlines. Her father, Stefano, was a professional soccer player whose career was cut short by a knee injury. He then taught himself to play tennis. He also moved to Spain to pursue a career as a stuntman and he appeared in such films as Patt…
Capriati trained with Macci until age 13 when she began attending the Hopman Tennis Academy at Saddle-brook resort in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Tom Gullickson became her next coach. By this time Capriati was already garnering a lot of attention in the tennis world. In 1988, at age 12, she won the United States Hard Court and Clay Court junior titles for ages 18 and under. The following year she won …
Capriati's break out year left a mark on the tennis world. She became the youngest ever semifinalist at the French Open in Roland Garros and she was the youngest ever seed at Wimbledon. She also won her first WTA singles title that year in Puerto Rico at the $150,000 San Juan Open. She finished the 1990 season ranked number eight in the world and at age 14 she became the youngest ever playe…
Talk of Capriati's potential to burn out early began before the teen phenomenon ever turned professional. She was continually compared to teen stars Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger who had both peaked early, but had short careers due to injuries. However, Capriati's parents were aware of these incidents and they tried to prevent the same thing from happening to their daughter. In part…
Capriati stayed away from tennis for the next year and a half. Her parents had divorced in 1995 and rumors began circulating about Capriati's stability and whether she would ever return to tennis. In August of 1996 Capriati did return to the tour, although her performance was lackluster. "If Capriati loves competitive tennis, she has a hard time showing it," wrote Ian O'…
Capriati's dream of winning a Grand Slam title finally came true in 2001 when she won the Australian Open. Capriati defeated Martina Hingis, the number one player in the world, by a score of 6-4, 6-3. "The motivation was just to live up to my potential," Capriati told Neil Harman and Andrew Alderson of the Sunday Telegraph. "It was more than just winning a few titles. I…
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