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by Christopher Gerby As anyone who witnessed her emotional breakdown in a 1999 US Open press conference can attest, Jennifer Capriati has an uneasy relationship with the tennis media. However, the 23-year-old's recent run to the Australian Open semifinals may have been a turning point. The questions she fields now tend to be more positive, centering on her increasingly successful comeback rather than her checkered past. Capriati's February 24th conference call with reporters was no exception. Speaking from Florida, where she's spent the past several weeks training, Jennifer peppered her responses with her trademark array of "I means," "you knows," and "umms." Capriati admitted that her confidence was at an all-time low as she struggled through the early stages of her return to professional tennis. "When I first started out, like I had -- I mean, pretty much like zero confidence, and you know, really didn't know what I was doing basically with my game." Jennifer didn't really find her way until hooking up with veteran coach Harold Soloman. "He just talked to me, saying that he still thought I had it in me to come back and do well, and you know, I still had a lot of potential and he believed I could do it." Capriati also credits the practice sessions she had with Martina Hingis during the off-season. "It's always good to be able to get -- to hit against a ball that you're going to be playing in the matches, and obviously her ball is very good. You know, practicing with the No. 1 player in the world, it's good for me... It was good motivator, good test, to see how good I would do against her in practice and stuff." There was a time when Capriati may have viewed her tennis ability as more of a burden than a blessing, but she seems to have matured and come to terms with it. "I basically look at it as just a game that I play that I think I'm okay at, you know, and that's fun. I get to do a lot of good things. I get to travel, meet people. Basically, I don't have a 9:00 to 5:00 job, which I wouldn't want anyways. I think it's good." The outpouring of support she's received from fans and the rest of the tennis community has played a part in that process, particularly last month in Melbourne. "I just felt wonderful the whole time. I mean, The reception that I got from people and just the feedback and just the way they were towards me... I really felt like the happiness, it was genuine from the people." This latest chapter in the Jennifer Capriati saga continues next week at the State Farm Women's Tennis Classic in Scottsdale, Arizona (which, oh by the way, will be covered by On The Line.) |