September 2001
Jennifer Capriati, American hero.
Has a nice ring to it, especially with the U.S. Open now upon us.
OK. Maybe I'm overstating the case. Maybe I'm letting my personal feelings
about Jennifer cloud my judgement just a bit. But is there anything
Americans love more than an underdog? is there anything the public
identifies with more than a comeback story?
To me, at least, one of the best things about Jennifer's renaissance --
aside from her Grand Slam trophies, of course -- has been how gracefully
she's handled everything this time around. And I think a lot of the credit
has to go to her parents. Her father, Stefano, has learned a lot about the
dual coach-parent role. He's still very much her protector, and that's never
going to change, but his priorities are now 100 percent in the right place.
His No. 1 priority? Making sure that Jennifer is happy, not burning out, not
jumping on all the commercial endorsements and exhibition requests. Finding
a nice balance. Keeping his daughter focused on her tennis, but seeing to it
that this time around, she enjoys the ride.
Yet while Stefano is the one calling the shots, it's her mom, Denise, who
continues to Jennifer's spiritual guide, her emotional compass. Her brother,
Steven, has always been her best friend and a valued hitting parther. The
family dynamic is in a healthy place right now.
And if Jennifer's up-and-down track record can be said to have a silver
lining, it's this: It will almost certainly add years to her career.
Think about it: Jennifer might be 25, but in professional tennis years, she's
still a relative newcomer. What has she had, five full years on the tour,
tops? If she steers clear of serious injury, Jen could easily play until
she's 30 and even beyond.
Can she be No. 1? I don't see why not. She's playing with confidence. She's
physically fit (unlike some other members of the Sanex WTA Top 10). And
perhaps most important, Jennifer seems to be in it for the long haul.
For years, people in and out of tennis have been writing her off. Of course,
Jennifer's not alone there. Those same people have been writing Agassi off,
and Seles, too.
I keep thinking back to the match that Jennifer and Monica played back in
1991, in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows. Seeing one girl of 17 and
another of only 15 trade thunder shots like that was a revelation.
I can still hear the audience gasping.
U.S. Open fans will see a different Jennifer walking into Arthur Ashe
Stadium this year. And I suspect those gasps will sound a lot more like roars.
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