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Capriati says lingering injuries may spell end

By KEITH NIEBUHR
Published March 31, 2006

KEY BISCAYNE - Wesley Chapel's Jennifer Capriati, a three-time major champion and one of the most recognized players of her generation, told the Miami Herald on Thursday that injuries might force her to retire. Capriati, who turned 30 Wednesday, has not played since 2004 and has had two surgeries on both her right shoulder and right wrist.

"I'm not playing at all right now," Capriati said. "I can't, the rehab is not going as I'd like, and this is harder than anything else I've been through because it's not in my hands. It would be unfortunate if I go out this way. But if I do, I'll have to just look back at my career as one big accomplishment. I'm not retired yet, though."

Capriati turned pro in 1990 when she was 13. Her career has seen its share of ups and downs, but in recent years the highs outweighed the lows. She claimed two Australian Opens (2001 and 2002) and the 2001 French Open, owns 14 singles titles and has earned more than $10-million.

ON THE REBOUND: Life after winning the 2004 U.S. Open hasn't been easy for Svetlana Kuznetsova. Remarkably, she has claimed only one tournament title since - and that came a week after her Open triumph.

But Thursday afternoon, the soft-spoken Russian, who has become somewhat of an afterthought since dropping out the top 10, showed that when she's on, she's tough to beat. During a convincing 6-1, 6-4 win over top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo in the Nasdaq-100 Open semifinals, Kuznetsova looked like a top-five player, not someone who hasn't reached a final this year. "I'm pretty excited with the way I played," Kuznetsova said.

Kuznetsova smacked 33 winners to 13 for Mauresmo and never lost her serve. The match ended in 78 minutes, a shocking result for Mauresmo, who was 23-3 this year with a title in hand from the Australian Open.

"I was top 12, top 10, and then suddenly everything comes and you play so good and then you win, and then everybody expects more," said Kuznetsova, 20. "You play so many tournaments in a row and you just don't have energy. Then suddenly you lose your confidence and this is where it breaks. I started to get injuries and I was not ready to handle the pressure."

Now, she apparently is.

BY THE NUMBERS: Andy Roddick has reached zero finals in 2006. ... Kuznetsova had a 14-forehand winners edge over Mauresmo. ... David Ferrer was 7-18 lifetime against top-10 opponents before beating Roddick in Thursday's quarterfinal.

[Last modified March 31, 2006, 01:09:18]