Jennifer Capriati: The highs and lows of an American tennis legend

Jennifer Capriati was one of the best tennis players of her generation, but her journey has not been without setbacks. Let's take a look back at Capriati's life and career.

Capriati began her professional career at a very young age. She made her professional debut in 1990, aged 13 years, according to the Tennis website.

In her debut year, she immediately reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

In the autumn of the same year, Capriati broke into the top ten in women's tennis, per WTA Tennis, becoming the youngest player ever to do so.

In 1991, she reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, but in 1992 she really wrote her name into the tennis history books for the first time.

At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Capriati experienced a dream and reached the final. Her opponent was Steffi Graff, but Capriati kept her cool and gave the US the gold. A historic achievement at the age of just 16. One year later, however, she would face a tough decision.

After a disappointing 1993 US Open, Capriati decided to take a break from pro tennis, while she also struggled with other things during that period.

In 1993, Capriati was accused of shoplifting a ring, per Tennis365. However, the tennis star stated that it was an accident.

In 1994, Capriati made headlines for being accused of marijuana possession. She subsequently went to a drug counseling program and addressed some serious mental health issues, including a battle with depression.

Capriati celebrated her comeback in 1996, but it took a long time before she was successful at Grand Slams again.

Capriati took until 1998 Wimbledon to win a Grand Slam singles match. From then on, however, she would fight her way back to the top of the rankings.

1999 was a good year for Capriati, who won several tournaments and ended the year world No. 23, according to WTA Tennis.

A year later, Capriati reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and showed she was once again a player to be reckoned with. Major successes would follow shortly after.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Capriati played her best tennis the following year, winning the Australian Open and French Open and reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.

That same year she reached world No. 1, but ended the year No. 2 behind her compatriot Lindsay Davenport, per WTA Tennis.

2002 was also a successful year for Capriati, who prolonged her title at the Australian Open by beating Martina Hingis in the final in three sets.

In 2003, Capriati crowned herself New Haven champion and earned her first tournament victory since her 2002 Australian Open triumph.

Capriati still seemed to have what it took to play tennis at the highest level. She was plagued by injuries in 2004, but still managed to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros and the US Open.

2004 was Capriati's last full season on the tour. She retired after having won three Grand Slams and having reached world No. 1. The tennis world said goodbye to one of the most talented players of the 1990s-2000s, but Capriati would still make headlines after her career.

The mental battles intensified for Capriati post-retirement. In the years following her retirement, she suffered serious battles with depression and reportedly overdosed on prescription medication in 2010 and had to be treated in a Florida hospital, as reported by the Daily Mail at the time.

Two years later, she was honoured for her exceptional career and inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. One of the greatest honours in the tennis world.

Despite the recognition, things were still chaotic in Capriati's personal life. In 2013, she was accused of stalking and beating her ex-boyfriend, Ivan Brannan, as reported by CNN. She faced battery and stalking charges, which were eventually dropped after she completed 30 hours of community service and sessions to control her anger.

Thankfully, that seems to be behind her now, Capriati now reportedly lives a quiet and peaceful life in Florida, where she can look back on a fantastic career that captured the hearts of many tennis fans.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!