“When the apple is ripe, you eat it.”
(Jennifer’s father, Stefano).
1989: Five million in endorsements before turning pro. “And she’s only 13!” (Sports Illustrated Cover).
1991: Capriati’s US Open semifinal vs. Monica Seles–the birth of power tennis in the women’s game–“a slugfest conducted by a pair of teenagers whose strokes defied age, gender and the legal speed limit” (New York Times).
1994: In medias res, shoplifting, drugs. Capriati’s very public mugshot at a very public 18 years old.
1994: Four months after she’s arrested, the “Capriati Rule”: No more girls allowed on the women’s tour.
1996-1999: 10 first round losses in grand slam tournaments.
2001-2002: Capriati trains with a female bodybuilder, wins three grand slam singles championships. Career record in grand slams singles finals: 3-0.
Jennifer Capriati, Mugshot. Coral Gables Sheriff’s Department. The original uploader was AnonEMouse at English Wikipedia., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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