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Coming full circle Capriati shines again after years of misery
Posted: Tuesday May 25, 1999 04:00 PM
PARIS (Reuters) -- Jennifer Capriati smacked a winner to complete her first victory at Roland Garros in six years and then lit up the court with a triumphant smile. As the Roland Garros crowd rose to give the American a standing ovation she turned to her mother, arms aloft, and beamed a grin of pure joy. The scenes following Tuesday's first round win over Spain's Virginia Ruano Pascual were light years away from the tears of despair and frustration which have plagued her since her sudden downfall in 1993, and Capriati could not be more relieved. "There have been lots of ups and downs but now I feel it is my true nature coming through," she said afterwards. "My true nature is being carefree, having fun and enjoying myself ... and that's coming through for me again." The meteoric rise and shameful fall of America's former child prodigy makes heart-breaking reading. The native New Yorker turned professional at just 13 years, 11 months old and immediately justified all the attendant hoopla by reaching the final in Florida, a top tier event. Ten weeks after her sensational pro debut in 1990 she became the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist by reaching the last four in Paris. Capriati made the semifinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open the following year and won Olympic gold in 1992. She was ranked as high as sixth in the world but the pressures on the bubbly teenager continued to grow and finally caused her to crash. Defeat in the first round of the U.S. Open in 1993 sparked a spectacular decline. "I spent a week in bed in darkness after that, just hating everything," she said shortly after that defeat. "When I looked in the mirror I actually saw this distorted image. I was so ugly and so fat, I just wanted to kill myself, really." Capriati began to self-destruct. She moved out of her parents' home in Florida and into an apartment. In the December she was charged with shoplifting. Worried about her mental state, her parents signed her into a private psychiatric clinic for a two-week evaluation. A month later, when she turned 18, Capriati moved to the other side of the state. She was arrested the following May with "acquaintances, not real friends" and charged with possession of marijuana. She then spent 28 days in a treatment program. Later that year she began the slow haul back. "It's been a slow process of lots of ups and downs," the 107th ranked Capriati said on Tuesday. "I guess I realized that I really missed playing. "I lost it for a while and now I'm, like, finding it, through all the ups and downs. "I've always been a pretty positive and pretty happy person. I think I'm just getting back to that." When Capriati made her debut, the late Teddy Tinling -- a former player and father figure on the women's circuit -- said: "If there is a God of tennis, he's given Jennifer Capriati to America." If there is a God of tennis, he may now be ready to give Jennifer Capriati a second chance.
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