There was a time when a day like yesterday – a waterlogged, dreary day that turned a one-hour match into a three-stage, 6 1/2-hour test of wills – would have left Jennifer Capriati frustrated and frazzled. But times have changed.
At 27, she is older, wiser. She’s experienced life – and loss. She is happier, and seemingly healthier. In short, the child-prodigy-turned seasoned-veteran has grown up.
She overcame two rain delays and a stubborn-but-errant Elena Dementieva for a 6-2, 7-5 win yesterday. It was the only match completed from yesterday’s afternoon session at the U.S. Open, and the win sent Capriati into tomorrow’s quarterfinals against Ai Sugiyama or Francesca Schiavone.
“It was tough. It was getting pretty annoying,” Capriati said. “I was getting tired. It’s hard to play matches like that, because your rhythm is broken up. You’re worried if you’re going to have to come back the next day. I was in a rush to get it finished.”
Understandably. The start of the match was delayed an hour, and they played just 13 minutes after that before the rains came. Capriati was leading 4-0 and brutalizing the Russian with her forehand.
During the ensuing 4½ hour delay, Capriati curled up in the players’ lounge and took a nap. When they returned, Dementieva was a little sharper, but her serve was laughably bad and she committed seven double-faults.
Capriati led 6-2, 3-2 before the rains came again 36 minutes later. When they returned to the court for the third time at 8 p.m., each broke serve and Dementieva served for the set at 5-4. But her errant forehand let Capriati break her again.
Capriati held with a 108 mph ace, and was clearly eager to finish the match, biting on her towel during the changeover. She hurried to the baseline to receive while Dementieva sat and wasted Time.
It didn’t help.
Capriati charged the net and returned a drop-shot attempt, firing a blast the Russian could only parry in self-defense. Capriati thrust her racket skyward and pumped her fist in triumph.
“I’ve learned you can’t expect everything to be perfect. I’m just happy for what I have, and have no complaints,” Capriati said. “I don’t have to prove anything; I realized I’ve achieved a lot in my tennis. That was a worry before; I let that go.
“Then there’s having confidence in myself. I was getting hurt in a few relationships; that was difficult. I learned to get through that and cope. I’m human, just like anybody else. I’m probably going to have more problems because of who I am and what I do.”
Perhaps pro-am partner Matthew Perry of “Friends” gets an assist for that one. They claim they’re no longer dating, but he was on hand yesterday, watching with her father Stefano and saying: “My heart’s with Jennifer. We’ve been friends for years.”
They have plenty in common. He was the No. 2-ranked junior player in Canada at 13 before becoming an actor. She smoked marijuana; he spent time in rehab for a painkiller addiction.
She once told Stefano to “leave me alone, you’re screwing up my life,” and a year after quitting tennis was arrested on a drug charge. But she seems to have her life in order and appears as happy as ever. She cracked open a beer and saluted the crowd after winning last week at New Haven. Another victory here might not be so far-fetched.