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Einstein would have been jealous. By winning the Australian and French Opens,
her first two career Grand Slams, reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon and the
U.S. Open and generally whipping the WTA field in 2001, Jennifer Capriati seemed
to have discovered a wormhole, bending space and time just enough to pick up
where she left off years ago. That murky in-between, if you recall, involved a
shoplifting citation, an arrest for marijuana possession and other personal
problems not unexpected in teenagers, especially ones forced to grow up at warp
speed. Capriati turned pro at 13, reached the top 10 at 14 and by 17 had lost
interest in tennis. When she returned to the Tour in 1996 she went five years
without winning a Grand Slam match. A recent rededication to fitness started to
pay big dividends and Capriati arrived in Melbourne this year in the best shape
of her life. She scored a straight-set upset victory over top-seeded Martina
Hingis to win Down Under (at No. 12, the lowest seeded player to win a Grand
Slam in the professional era), then showed off her stamina in the finals at
Roland Garros with a riveting 1-6, 6-4, 12-10 comeback against Kim Clijsters. At
25 years old, senior citizenship on the women's tour, Capriati has emerged as
the hardest hitter this side of Venus and Serena, and she dislodged Hingis as
the world's No. 1 in mid-October before finishing the season ranked second
behind Lindsay Davenport.
--Jamal
Greene
Sports Illustrated, February 5, 2001: Jenny Come Lately
Sports Illustrated, June 18, 2001: Vive L'Amour
Sports Illustrated Women, December/January 2002: The Hard Return
Video Box: Capriati talks about fame -- the second time around 
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Photographs by Bob Martin (3)
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