Jennifer Capriati burst onto the world tennis stage at the age of 13, defeating four seeded players in her professional
debut, becoming the youngest player ever to reach a tour final, where she lost a close match to Gabriela Sabatini. Her
debut landed her on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She went on to win the women’s singles gold medal at the Olympic
Games in Barcelona, defeating Steffi Graf. Amid mounting pressures to live up to the expectations, she took a break
from competitive tennis but soon ran into personal and legal troubles. She was involved in a shoplifting incident, then
arrested for marijuana possession. She pieced her life back together and returned to the tour and began a steady rise
that culminated in the World No 1 ranking, with 14 career titles including 3 grand slam tournament victories.
debut, becoming the youngest player ever to reach a tour final, where she lost a close match to Gabriela Sabatini. Her
debut landed her on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She went on to win the women’s singles gold medal at the Olympic
Games in Barcelona, defeating Steffi Graf. Amid mounting pressures to live up to the expectations, she took a break
from competitive tennis but soon ran into personal and legal troubles. She was involved in a shoplifting incident, then
arrested for marijuana possession. She pieced her life back together and returned to the tour and began a steady rise
that culminated in the World No 1 ranking, with 14 career titles including 3 grand slam tournament victories.
