Jennifer Capriati

Jennifer Capriati was an absolute junior phenom and was expected to be the next great American player after Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Capriati turned professional at the age of only 13 years, 11 months, losing in a tournament at that age in Boca Raton, Florida to Gabriella Sabatini. Capriati went to the semi-finals of the 1990 French Open, at age 14, and in October 1990 became the youngest ever player to be ranked in the top 10.

Over the next four years, Capriati won six tournaments on the WTA tour. In 1993 she lost in the first round of the US Open and then took an enforced break from tennis, citing burnout and depression. During a 14-month absence from the game, she had further problems, with arrests for shoplifting and marijuana possession. She returned in 1996, however, and eventually regained her previous form.

Capriati won her first Grand Slam match in five years at 1998 Wimbledon. She won her first title since 1993 at the 1999 event in Strasbourg, France. In 2001 Capriati won both the Australian and French Open, for her first Grand Slam singles titles. In October 2001 she became world ranked #1 for the first time. She also reached the semi-finals in 2001 at Wimbledon and the US Open. In 2002 she was given the Laureus Award as World Sportswoman of the Year.

Capriati stayed at a high level for three more years, winning the Australian Open again 2002, and reaching the US Open semis in 2003-04, but injuries then derailed her career. During her career she won 13 professional singles titles, with three Grand Slam titles. Capriati was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012.