Jennifer Capriati Not Talking About Past
July 1 -- If Jennifer Capriati wins Wimbledon it will garner her three back-to-back Grand Slam titles — an astonishing accomplishment in itself.
But it's even more astonishing considering the tennis champ was considered out of the field just a few years ago after an arrest on drug charges and behavior some called "obnoxious."
She has reached the third round of Wimbledon with a low profile. She won the Australia Open and the French Open in similar fashion.
"Many athletes have comebacks," said Bud Collins, tennis columnist and sportscaster. "Athletes are strong hearted. But to make the front page smiling triumphantly now after making the front page with a mug shot — there is nothing that compares to that."
A Long and Winding Road
At 13, Capriati was one of the youngest players on the circuit — precocious, spoiled and over-exposed.
At 15, she made the semi-finals at Wimbledon, beating the defending champion, Martina Navratilova.
At 18, she was charged with possession of marijuana. A year later, she was out of the tennis circuit.
"I just wish I didn't have to talk about this all the time," Capriati tearfully told reporters after the charges were publicized.
One of the Greatest Comebacks of All Time
If Capriati wins Wimbledon this year, it will be one of the greatest sporting comebacks of all time.
As a teenager, Capriati had a list of sponsorships worth over $5 million. She endorsed Prince tennis rackets and Diadora tennis clothes.
She even endorsed Oil of Olay.
After her arrest and breakdown, she lost all the endorsements.
Now, the "Comeback Kid" has just one endorsement — Fila Sports — and for the moment, she seems to want to keep it that way.
"She's lived through the alternative of having too much pressure and obviously that didn't work out," said her publicist Peter Land.
Past Left Behind?
Capriati isn't giving any interviews either, beyond obligatory after-match press conferences. It's not for lack of offers. She's had about 70 requests. her interest seems to be to lay the ghost of her past to rest, forever.
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