Jennifer Capriati facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jennifer Capriati

Capriati at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships
Full name	Jennifer Maria Capriati
Country (sports)	United States
Residence	Wesley Chapel, Florida, U.S.
Born	(1976-03-29) March 29, 1976 (age 49) New York City, U.S.
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Turned pro	March 1990
Retired	2004
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$ 10,206,639
Int. Tennis HoF	2012 (member page)
Singles
Career record	430–176
Career titles	14
Highest ranking	No. 1 (October 15, 2001)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (2001, 2002)
French Open	W (2001)
Wimbledon	SF (1991, 2001)
US Open	SF (1991, 2001, 2003, 2004)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	SF (2002, 2003)
Olympic Games	W (1992)
Doubles
Career record	66–50
Career titles	1
Highest ranking	No. 28 (March 2, 1992)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	3R (2000)
French Open	3R (2000, 2001)
Wimbledon	3R (1991, 2000)
US Open	QF (2001)
Medal record Women's tennis Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 1992 Barcelona Singles

Jennifer Maria Capriati (born March 29, 1976) is an American former professional tennis player. She was once ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles. Jennifer held this top spot for 17 weeks.

Capriati won 14 singles titles during her career. These include three major championships: the 2001 Australian Open, the 2001 French Open, and the 2002 Australian Open. She also earned an Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Jennifer Capriati set many "youngest ever" records in tennis. She started her professional career in 1990 when she was just 13 years old. She quickly became one of the top players. After a break from tennis, she made an amazing comeback. She won her first Grand Slam title in 2001. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014.

Tennis Career Highlights

Early Success and Records (1990–1991)

Jennifer Capriati showed her talent early on. She won the Junior Orange Bowl twice. This is a big achievement, as only a few players have done it. Some famous names on that list include Andy Murray and Monica Seles.

Capriati became a professional player at 13 years old. She quickly reached the finals of two major events. She also earned her first wins against top-10 players. In April 1990, she entered the world rankings at No. 23.

She made her first Grand Slam appearance at the French Open. She reached the semifinals, which was a huge accomplishment for a newcomer. Later that year, she won her first career title in Puerto Rico. This win helped her enter the world's top 10. She finished her first professional season ranked No. 8.

Throughout 1990, Capriati set many "youngest ever" records. She was the youngest player to reach a tour final. She was also the youngest to reach the French Open semifinals. The WTA Newcomer of the Year award went to her in 1990.

In 1991, Capriati continued to play well. She won two singles titles. One big win was against the world No. 1, Monica Seles, in San Diego. She also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open. At Wimbledon, she beat nine-time champion Martina Navratilova. She was the youngest player to reach the Wimbledon semifinals. She ended 1991 ranked No. 6. She also won her only doubles title with Monica Seles at the Italian Open.

Olympic Gold and Continued Play (1992–1993)

The 1992 season was special for Capriati. She won a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. She beat top players like Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Steffi Graf to win the gold.

She also successfully defended her title in San Diego. This was the only time she won two singles titles in a row. Capriati reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. She finished 1992 ranked No. 7. She also became the youngest player to earn over $1 million in prize money. A video game called Jennifer Capriati Tennis was released in 1992.

In 1993, Capriati started strong by winning a tournament in Sydney. She reached the quarterfinals at the first three major tournaments of the year. She also reached the final of the Rogers Cup in Montreal. After the US Open, Capriati decided to take a break from tennis. She finished the year ranked No. 9.

Return to Tennis (1996–2000)

After a break, Capriati returned to tennis in 1996. She reached the quarterfinals in Essen. She also made it to her first final in over three years in Chicago. She beat Monica Seles on her way to that final. Capriati re-entered the rankings at No. 103 and finished 1996 at No. 24. She was named the WTA Comeback Player of the Year for 1996.

In 1997, she reached the final in Sydney. She also made it to the quarterfinals in Oklahoma City. In 1998, Capriati won her first Grand Slam singles match in five years at Wimbledon.

1999 was a much better year for Capriati. She won her first title in six years at Strasbourg. She also won her second title of the year in Quebec City. She reached the round of 16 at both the French Open and US Open. She finished the year ranked No. 23.

At the 2000 Australian Open, Capriati reached her first Grand Slam semifinal in nine years. She also had a strong fall season, winning her ninth career title in Luxembourg. These results helped her get back into the top 20. She qualified for the season-ending championships for the first time in seven years. Her year-end ranking was No. 14.

Grand Slam Champion and World No. 1 (2001)

Capriati had an incredible year in 2001. She was seeded 12th at the 2001 Australian Open. She came back from being down a set and a break to beat Monica Seles. Then, in her first Grand Slam final, she defeated the top seed and world No. 1, Martina Hingis. This win gave her her first Grand Slam singles title. She was the lowest seed ever to win the Australian Open. After this win, she re-entered the top 10 rankings at No. 7.

She then reached the final in Miami, where she lost to Venus Williams. Capriati had a very successful clay court season. She won her second title of the year in Charleston, beating Hingis again.

At the 2001 French Open, Capriati was seeded fourth. She defeated top seed Hingis in the semifinals. Then she beat Kim Clijsters in the final to win her second Grand Slam title in a row. Her win over Clijsters was a very long and exciting match. She was only the fifth woman in history to win the Australian Open and French Open consecutively.

At Wimbledon, Capriati continued her strong play. She reached the semifinals, where her 19-match Grand Slam win streak ended. She then reached the final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto. She also made it to the semifinals of the US Open. Capriati had the best Grand Slam record of 2001. She was the only player to reach at least the semifinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments.

Despite playing less in the fall, Capriati became the world No. 1 on October 15, 2001. She was named the ITF World Champion, WTA Player of the Year, and Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for 2001.

Third Grand Slam Title (2002)

In 2002, Capriati was the top seed at the Australian Open. She defeated Amélie Mauresmo and Kim Clijsters to reach her second straight final there. She faced Martina Hingis again in the final. The match was played in very hot weather. Capriati came back from being down to win the match. This was her third and final Grand Slam title.

In the spring, Capriati reached finals in Scottsdale and Miami. She lost to Serena Williams in both matches. She reached the semifinals of the French Open as the top seed. However, she lost to Serena Williams. Capriati's streak of six consecutive Grand Slam semifinals ended at Wimbledon. She lost in the quarterfinals. She finished the year ranked No. 3.

New Haven Champion (2003)

Capriati had eye surgery after the 2002 season. This affected her preparation for 2003. She lost in the first round of the 2003 Australian Open.

However, she soon bounced back. She reached the semifinals in five of her next tournaments. She made it to the final of the Miami Open for the third year in a row. She reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the sixth time.

Capriati won her first title of 2003 in New Haven. This ended a long period without a tournament win for her. At the US Open, she reached the semifinal. She lost a very close match to Justine Henin.

Final Full Season (2004)

Injuries affected Capriati's 2004 season. A back injury forced her to miss the 2004 Australian Open. Her ranking dropped to No. 10 due to her injuries.

She had her best results of the year during the clay-court season. She reached the semifinals in Berlin. At the Italian Open, she beat top seed Serena Williams. She then reached the final, where she lost to Amélie Mauresmo. At the French Open, she reached the semifinals.

At Wimbledon, Capriati reached the quarterfinals for the fourth year in a row. She then reached her fourth US Open semifinal. She lost a very close match to Elena Dementieva. Capriati reached the US Open semifinals four times in her career. She finished the year ranked No. 10.

Playing Style

Jennifer Capriati was known for her powerful style of play. She was one of the first players to hit the ball early and with great force. Her game focused on strong groundstrokes and good movement around the court.

Her flat forehand was a very strong weapon. She also had a solid backhand. Capriati was quick and could play both offense and defense. Her serve was sometimes inconsistent, but she made up for it with her excellent return of serve.

Equipment and Endorsements

In the 1990s, Jennifer Capriati had big sponsorship deals. She signed a contract with Diadora for her clothing. She also had a deal with Prince for her tennis rackets. In the early 2000s, her tennis clothes were made by Fila. She used a Prince Precision Retro 27 Midplus racket.

Legacy and Awards

Jennifer Capriati was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012. Many people consider her one of the best tennis players of her time. She often reached the later stages of major tournaments.

A video game called Jennifer Capriati Tennis was released for the Sega Genesis in 1992. In 2001, she received the Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year. She also won the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year in 2002.

Post-Tennis Activities

After her tennis career, Jennifer Capriati appeared on a television reality series called The Superstars in 2009. She was paired with singer and actor David Charvet. She had to leave the show early due to an injury.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Singles Performance

Grand Slam Tournament Finals: 3 (3 titles)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	2001	Australian Open	Hard	Martina Hingis	6–4, 6–3
Win	2001	French Open	Clay	Kim Clijsters	1–6, 6–4, 12–10
Win	2002	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Martina Hingis	4–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–2

Olympic Games: 1 (gold medal)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Gold	1992	Barcelona Olympics	Clay	Steffi Graf	3–6, 6–3, 6–4

See also

In Spanish: Jennifer Capriati para niños