Jennifer Capriati
At the age of just 13, American prodigy Jennifer Capriati had the world at her feet. The year was 1989 and Capriati had just become the youngest player to win the French Open junior singles title. The following year she turned professional and in 1991 she reached the semifinals of both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. But because she couldn’t manage to nail down a major tennis title (even in the 1990s, expectation levels were sky high), Capriati took a break from the sport in late 1993. Within a year, she had become involved in a shoplifting incident and had been arrested for marijuana possession.
A return to the tour followed in 1996, but it was another five years before her hard work and prodigious talent paid off; Capriati won the Australian and French Opens back to back in 2001. She kept her Australian major in 2002, in an upset match against Martina Hingis: down 6-4, 4-0, Capriati battled back to win 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 — saving four championship points in the process. And while she subsequently battled injuries and struggled to recapture her form — Capriati hasn’t played competitively in nearly five years — it would be folly to suggest that the tennis world has seen the last of her.
