Capriati, Jennifer

Jennifer Capriati, in full Jennifer Maria Capriati, (born March 29, 1976, New York, New York, U.S.), American tennis player who first achieved success as a teenage prodigy. Her play later suffered amid various personal issues, but she staged a comeback, winning the Australian Open (2001 and 2002) and the French Open (2001).

Capriati was born in New York City and lived in Spain until age four, when her family moved to Florida so that she could pursue a tennis career. She quickly attracted attention with her innate talent and bubbly personality. By the time she turned professional in 1990, she had earned more than $6 million in endorsements. During her first year on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour, Capriati set a number of records, including becoming the youngest player to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam event (the French Open) and to win a match at Wimbledon. In late 1990 she won her first professional title, the Puerto Rico Open, and finished the year ranked in the WTA top 10—the youngest player ever to do so. With powerful strokes and incredible consistency, Capriati continued to impress in 1991, reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon and at the U.S. Open. In 1992 she defeated Steffi Graf to capture a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

The pressures of professional play and her parents’ divorce, however, began to take their toll on Capriati. After an unexpected first-round loss at the U.S. Open in 1993, she took a break from the tour. Her troubles continued, however, as she was arrested for shoplifting and later for possession of marijuana; she was not convicted in either case. Though she returned to the tour in 1994, she lacked commitment, was not in shape, and faced intense media scrutiny. Playing well only sporadically, Capriati managed to win just one match at a Grand Slam tournament between 1994 and 1998.

In 1999 Capriati dedicated herself to getting fit and that year claimed her first title since 1993. She finished 1999 ranked number 23 in the world, and the following year—with her father as her coach—Capriati climbed in the rankings to number 14. At the 2001 Australian Open, in her first Grand Slam final, she upset top-seeded Martina Hingis 6–4, 6–3. With that victory Capriati entered the top 10 for the first time in seven years. Her comeback continued at the French Open. Two points from defeat, she rallied to overcome Kim Clijsters in a three-set thriller (1–6, 6–4, 12–10) to take the title. Her bid for a Grand Slam (winning all four major events in one year), however, ended with a semifinal loss at Wimbledon. Capriati successfully defended her Australian Open title in 2002 with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Hingis, but a series of wrist and shoulder injuries sidelined her after the 2004 season, and, in spite of multiple surgeries, she was unable to return to professional play. In 2012 Capriati was selected for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.