Will 13-year-old Jennifer Capriati, a corporate millionaire even before her pro debut, play up to her world-beater potential?
By JOEY JOHNSTON
Tribune Sports Writer
(c) Tampa Bay Times. Originally published March 4, 1990.
TAMPA — She still giggles her way through life, just like any other 13-year-old girl. As for the international attention, the celebrity status, she treats it all like a funny game. Sometimes she wonders, can this really be happening to me?
Tuesday afternoon, there will be no doubt. That’s when the tennis world will be squarely focused on The Polo Club in Boca Raton as Jennifer Capriati makes her pro debut at the Virginia Slims of Florida.
The expectations are almost as enormous as Capriati’s bank account. Two endorsement contracts — and more on the way — have made her a millionaire before her first match. Capriati breezed through the junior ranks, leaving little doubt that she was ready for the next level.
Prime time has finally arrived for Capriati, who would prefer to sidestep the red-carpet treatment.
“I’m just a kid,’’ said Capriati, a 5-foot-6, 125-pounder who trains at the Harry Hopman/Saddlebrook International Tennis Center in Wesley Chapel. “I just have this talent. I don’t know. Why is everybody going so crazy? They never did this for any of the other young players coming out.’’
Students of women’s tennis can perfectly understand the early adulation for Capriati. Chris Evert ruled for nearly two decades, but she retired last fall. An American successor is needed, especially with the game being dominated by Europeans and South Americans. Someone who can win Wimbledon and smile for the magazine covers.
That someone is apparently Capriati. Ready or not, America. Here she comes.
The people who know her best, particularly Evert, say Capriati can soon become a major force on the tour.
“She’s a top 10 player right now,’’ said Evert, whose father, Jimmy, gave Capriati her first lessons at Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park eight years ago. “She’s going to handle it very well. I’ve known her since she was 5 and she’s not going to crumble. Because she’s so young and naive, she doesn’t feel anything at all. She’s just having fun.’’
Those surrounding Capriati, though, are plenty busy protecting her interests.
John Evert, Chris’ brother and Capriati’s agent with the Cleveland-based International Management Group, is carefully marketing his client while preaching patience. He negotiated multimillion-dollar endorsement deals with Diadora, an Italian clothing firm, and Prince rackets. The Women’s International Tennis Association has an acute awareness of Capriati’s star quality. The United States Tennis Association is quick to tell of its role in Capriati’s development.
Capriati has already been featured on the cover of World Tennis magazine. She has been the subject of lengthy profile articles in Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. Everyone seems to have a stake in her future.
Imagine how things will intensify when Capriati wins some matches.
“Everyone is obviously putting in their P.R. two cents’ worth,’’ said Pam Shriver, who learned about early stardom when she gained the U.S. Open singles final at age 16. “Sure, it’s a fair bit of pressure. But I don’t think it’s any more pressure than you feel at 4-all in the third.
“I think she’ll be able to deal with it. At least she’ll get it out of the way early in her career. In a sense, the pressure might be off. I mean, she has already received so much attention.’’
But there will undoubtedly be different pressures ahead. If Capriati becomes the drawing card that most people visualize, tournament directors will be begging her to play in their city. Every opponent will be prepared to defeat this teenage phenomenon they have heard so much — maybe too much — about.
Against that backdrop, Capriati will try to live a normal life. She has already switched from public to private school, so her tournament schedule can be better accommodated. Her parents, Stefano and Denise, pledge that she will be out to please only herself, not those on the periphery. There will be no globe-hopping, no mad dash from tournament to tournament.
“If Jennifer can keep things as normal as possible, that will really be to her benefit,’’ said No. 4-ranked Zina Garrison, who debuted on the professional tour at age 18. “See, what we do on the tour, it’s not the real world. You wonder about the young girls sometimes. All they know is the tournaments, their hotels, playing the matches.’’
Kathy Rinaldi, 22, doesn’t remember it that way. She was playing in professional matches at age 13, but said those years were an extended learning experience.
“I still feel very young, even though I’ve been at this for a long time,’’ Rinaldi said. “Many of my friends are just finishing college and beginning their careers. But what I’ve learned, I could never get that out of a classroom.
“It has been great, really. I always had my family around, so there was some sense of normality to i tall. Jennifer, I believe, is going to have the same thing.’’
Mary Joe Fernandez, 18, maintained a happy medium in her life, even while turning professional at age 14. She remained a full-time student at The Carrollton School in Miami, fitting in tournament appearances during the summer or when her schoolwork would allow.
Now she has a high-school diploma. Since graduation, her ranking has zoomed to No. 8. She’s shooting even higher, while keeping her perspective.
“It’s not normal to travel around every week like some players do, especially when you’re a teenager,’’ Fernandez said. “I think I went about it the right way. Some people couldn’t understand why I was staying in school. But I think it kept me level-headed and improved my relationships with people in general.’’
For now, everything seems to be going Capriati’s way. She says she has no fear entering her initial professional match, just excitement.
“I’m just so psyched,’’ she said. “I can’t wait. It has been so long between competitive matches (since last December’s Continental Cup juniors tournament). I’ve been going crazy.
“When I go out there to play, I think the crowd is going to be cheering for me. I love that. It gets me ready to play. I know they expect me to do well. I’m not expecting to win my first pro tournament, but I’m hoping not to lose in the first round, either.’’
That isn’t likely to happen. Capriati showed her ability in Wightman Cup competition last September when she smoked Clare Wood of Great Britain 6-0, 6-0. She also defeated veteran pro Laura Gildemeister 6-4, 6-1 in an exhibition.
Capriati says she doesn’t have a boyfriend — “It’s better to be just friends; that way, there are no broken hearts’’ — but there are plenty of male opponents she has victimized.
“When I whip the boys, that’s when I feel so proud,’’ Capriati said. “They always say, ‘Man, no 13-year-old girl is going to beat me.’ I love to beat any boy on the tennis court, especially a college boy. I love the challenge.’’
Capriati is accusomted to domination. Now the challenges will occur more often, maybe ever day. Between giggles, she says she is ready. Time will tell. Evert envisions a killer on the court, a charmer off it.
“She’s a great player with a great little personality,’’ Evert said. “She’s going to be just fine.’’
