Capriati Ready To Test Refined Skills With Problems, 25-35 Pounds Behind Her, Former Tennis Phenom Returns In Paris Open

Jennifer Capriati returns to tennis in Paris today for only her second match in 2-1/2 years. It will be a lot different from the first time she played in Paris six years ago.

“It’s something I really want to do - so I accepted a wild-card entry without any kind of pressure from anyone,” Capriati was quoted as saying in Monday’s editions of the New York Post.

Barely 14, Capriati made the French Open semifinals in 1990 to become the youngest semifinalist in Grand Slam history.

Full of bubbly enthusiasm and innocence, she visited Notre Dame cathedral and wondered where the football field was. Asked about Napoleon, she said, “You know, he’s the little dead dude.”

She was ranked as high as sixth in 1991. Now, Capriati is back at 19 after a troubled exile from the game that included arrests for shoplifting and marijuana possession and tours in drug rehab.

“I really feel excited about playing in Paris,” Capriati said. “I’ve been working with my dad (Stefano) once again in Tampa and really feel like I’m ready to play.”

Her return starts with a first-round match against a tough Belgian player, Sabine Appelmans, at the Paris Open indoor tournament.

Appelmans, No. 25 in the world, is the highest-ranked non-seeded player in the 28-player event.

“I’m looking forward to playing her,” the Belgian said. “It will be a surprise to see how well she plays. I think she must be fit if she is playing, and I am looking for a tough match.”

Capriati held the promise of becoming the sport’s top star when she turned pro just before the age of 14. In addition to her semifinal appearance at the French Open in 1990, she reached the semis at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1991 and won the Olympic gold medal in 1992.

But burnout and injuries took their toll. Capriati quit the tour and moved away from her family after losing in the first round of the 1993 U.S. Open.

She was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting cheap jewelry in December of that year, and was arrested for marijuana possession in May 1994. The police photo showed a nose-ringed Capriati.

Capriati made an aborted comeback at a tournament in Philadelphia in November 1994. She lost to Anke Huber in three sets in the first round, dropped out of sight and has not played since.

Capriati, who has reportedly lost 25 to 35 pounds and is in good playing shape, has made no commitment to a long-term comeback.

“I’m taking things one step at a time,” she said.

Mary Pierce, the 1995 Australian Open champion, who is seeded fourth at the Paris Open, is eager to see Capriati back in tournament play.

“We’ve always been close friends. We grew up on the circuit (in Florida) as we were about the same age,” Pierce said. “We’ve always stayed in contact, and it’s good to see her playing again.”

Capriati could have a tough time against the 23-year-old Appelmans, who has won six tournaments in her career. She has won one indoor event, in Linz, Austria, in 1994 and was a quarterfinalist at the Paris Open last year. She has made the fourth round of three Grand Slam Tournaments.

If Capriati beats Appelmans, she would face the winner of the Helena Sukova-Julie Halard match. Halard, once in the top 15, has dropped to No. 31.

The top four seeds - Iva Majoli, Huber, Magdalena Maleeva and Pierce - have received first-round byes.

Steffi Graf originally was seeded No. 1 but withdrew last week because she is recovering from foot surgery.