Capriati has plenty left in the tank

By Marc Lancaster, CNNSI.com

	• Storylines • The Number • Aces/Double Faults • Drop Shots • They Said It • Looking Ahead

I didn't think she would do it.

I'm not talking about just the final, I mean before the tournament. I just wasn't convinced that Jennifer Capriati would be fit enough, or motivated enough, to repeat as Australian Open champion.

But she showed everyone a little something about her character during the last two weeks in Melbourne. It would have been very easy for her to ride last year's remarkable success for a while -- maybe even the rest of her career. Two Grand Slams in a season, especially considering the rising-from-the-ashes story that accompanied them? No one would have looked down on her for taking a break.

But it appears Capriati has some tennis left to play. She expects to win tournaments now, and it shows. Yes, she can get petulant -- that little tantrum over line calls in the final had to make you cringe -- but she's a winner.

You can almost see her turning into what Andre Agassi became last year. She'll lose some first-rounders in warm-up events, but she'll always play deep into the second week at the Grand Slams, Key Biscayne and Indian Wells.

Capriati's got some lost time to make up for, and she definitely isn't finished yet.

One to remember

While Capriati's run to the title was hardly a shock, Thomas Johansson's men's championship certainly would qualify as one. Yes, he was the 16th seed, but his ranking has always been more a product of consistency than serious runs in major tournaments. He was playing his best tennis last summer, when he won two tournaments on grass before Wimbledon, but he was bounced out in the second round by Andy Roddick. Who knows what would have happened if Johansson had had to play Tim Henman in the quarters instead of Jonas Bjorkman, but it doesn't matter now. His name's on the trophy. Now the only question is, will he be a one-Slam wonder?

What's next for Swiss Miss?

Poor Martina Hingis. Even if you're not a fan, you had to feel for her as she staggered around on the court during the third set of the final, knowing she was beaten almost as soon as the first ball of the third set was struck. You have to wonder where Hingis goes from here. She's still only 21 years old, but will she ever be able to grab that sixth Grand Slam singles title? One thing that may help is playing a bit less. Since she no longer has the No. 1 ranking to defend, Hingis would be much better served to ease off on what had become a tortuous schedule. She doesn't need to prove anything to anyone at minor events. This won't be the last time we see her in a Grand Slam final, but the damage to her psyche has to be getting worse with each near-miss.

Marat Safin's record when winning the first set in a Grand Slam singles match. The loss, of course, came in the final.

ACE Monica Seles -- Don't let Capriati's comeback in the final overshadow the fantastic performance turned in by the other American semifinalist. Seles' run, especially that win over Venus Williams, was great to see.

DOUBLE FAULT Whining players -- Yeah, they're always going to do it, but the complaining got a little old at times in this fortnight. Just play.

ACE Stefan Koubek -- The lowest-ranked player (No. 65) to reach the quarterfinals, the Austrian had his best showing ever in a Grand Slam. Even better, he twice rallied from two-set deficits to get there.

DOUBLE FAULT Marat Safin -- We love the guy, really. But there's no excuse for just giving up, as he did in the third and part of the fourth sets of the final.

ACE Jiri Novak -- The Czech turned in a classy move in his semifinal match when a ball was erroneously called out and he told the umpire it was in, thus giving a game to his opponent.

Just for the record, in a highly unscientific CNNSI.com poll, only 19 percent of the respondents picked Johansson to beat Safin for the men's title.

The Capriati-Hingis final has officially been declared an "Instant Classic," and rightfully so. The match will be replayed this Friday on ESPN Classic.

Did you get the feeling ESPN's directors were having a real hard time not cutting to Safin's posse of blonde hotties after every single point?

How the mighty have fallen: Australia's Davis Cup team for its opening tie against Argentina in two weeks will apparently consist of Andrew Ilie, Scott Draper, Wayne Arthurs and Todd Woodbridge. Playing at a good Argentinean squad on clay, they'll be lucky to get a win out of that crew.

In case you missed it, the junior champions for the tournament were France's Clement Morel in boys' singles and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic in girls' singles. Morel disappointed the home crowd by beating next-great-Aussie-hope Todd Reid in the final.

Finally, let's give some props to the real stars of the tournament, that ever-rowdy array of blue-and-gold Swedish fans.

"I really don't know how I won today."

Capriati after her sun-baked win in the final.

"These two weeks, they've been the best two weeks in my life. It was unbelievable and I don't have words to say how happy I am."

Johansson after wrapping up his first Grand Slam title.

This week - ATP Tour

A solid field assembles in Milan, led by the now-healthy Juan Carlos Ferrero, who skipped the Australian. Goran Ivanisevic and Roger Federer are also in Italy. Also this weekend is the eight-team World Doubles Championship in India, postponed from last fall because of security reasons.

This week - WTA Tour

Speaking of 2002 debuts, Jelena Dokic will be back on the court at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. She'll join top-seeded Hingis and Seles at the clay-court event.

Next week - ATP Tour

Regular tour play has a week off as the first round of Davis Cup ties take over. Marquee pairings include Australia at Argentina, Sweden at Great Britain and Germany at Croatia. The United States, led by Pete Sampras and Roddick, will host Slovakia at Oklahoma City.

Next week - WTA Tour

The women head to Paris for the indoor Open Gaz de France.

Come back every Monday for a new Tennis Week at a Glance.

 

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