Australian Open Rewind: 2002, The Rise and Fall of Capriati vs. Hingis 1
Jennifer Capriati defeated Martina Hingis in a memorable 2002 Australian Open final.
Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis competed against each other in one of the finest women’s matches in the past decade at the 2002 Australian Open.
Ironically, both started playing competitive tennis at an extremely young age and enjoyed immediate success and acclaim. But both endured controversy and ended their careers prematurely.
Capriati was pushed along early by her father, playing her first professional match in 1990 a couple of weeks before she turned 14. The teenager astounded the tennis world by upending some top-ranked players as she skyrocketed to the No. 8 ranking by the end of the year. She even made the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Capriati was young, bubbling over with enthusiasm. The public and the press adored her.
In 1991 she reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. In 1992 she won a gold medal at the Olympics. The more success she enjoyed, however, the more pressure people exerted upon her to do more—win more. Read the rest of this entry →
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