Jennifer Maria Capriati (born March 29, 1976) is an American former professional tennis player. A member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, she won three singles championships in Grand Slam tournaments, was the gold medalist at the 1992 Summer Olympics, reached the World No. 1 ranking, and is generally considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Capriati set a number of youngest-ever records at the start of her career. She made her professional debut in 1990 at the age of 13 years 11 months, reaching the final of the hard-court tournament in Boca Raton, Florida. Capriati reached the semifinals of the French Open in her debut and later became the youngest ever player to reach the top 10 at age 14 years, 235 days in October of that year. Following a first-round loss at the 1993 US Open, Capriati took a 14-month break from competitive pro tennis. Her personal struggles during this time (including arrests for shoplifting and possession of marijuana) were well-documented by the press.
In 1998, Capriati won her first Grand Slam singles match in five years at Wimbledon. During the next two years, Capriati slowly returned to championship form, winning her first title in six years in Strasbourg in 1999 and regaining a top-20 ranking. At the 2001 Australian Open, the reinvigorated Capriati became the lowest seed ever to win the championship when she defeated Martina Hingis in straight sets for her first Grand Slam championship. She also won the French Open that year, claiming the Women's Tennis Association No. 1 ranking in October. After successfully defending her Australian Open title in 2002, Capriati became a top-10 mainstay until injuries derailed her career in 2004. She won 14 professional singles tournaments during her career, along with one women's doubles championship.
1990-2004 |