Catching Up with Jennifer Capriati
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.)
|
|
The views expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect those of this magazine.
https://tennis-ontheline.com/00/00cgjcap.htm © 125
Last updated 26 September 2015
|