Jennifer Capriati 'Possibly' Overdoses

1 year ago

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The celebrity website TMZ.com is reporting that former tennis star Jennifer Capriati was treated for a "possible" overdose in a Florida hospital on Sunday. (Oh, the lawyerly wiggle room the word "possible" provides.) Capriati won three Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal in 1992.

Despite those achievements, her career didn't live up to the hype that began in her early teenage years. In 1994, she was arrested for marijuana possession. (A year or so later I smoked pot with her when Capriati came to my college to visit a tennis academy friend; she was kind, if guarded.) Drug use may have been a symptom of her struggles on the court, but they weren't the cause of them. Too much pressure was placed on her, too many expectations, and for years, until a late resurgence, she underachieved.

Her coda -- Australian Open titles in 2001 and 2002, the 2001 French Open championship -- was a fine one, and let's hope Capriati now enjoys an equally fulfilling comeback off the courts.

Filed Under: Surge Desk

Tagged: australian open, drugs, french open, Jennifer Capriati, olympics, overdose

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