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via Imago

via Imago

Everyone loves a comeback story. Movies such as Rocky, The Pursuit of Happiness, and many more are famous because they get people motivated to grind their way out of their misery. When a comeback story happens in real life, it inspires people even more. Since they see an actual person fight against all odds and it gives them a bigger boost.

Rafael Nadal returning to play after a serious threat to his career due to injuries and Novak Djokovic saving two championship points against Roger Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon finals are some of the most famous stories in tennis. Rick Macci, ex-coach of Serena Williams, talks about another player who made an astounding comeback in her career.

Ex-coach of Serena Williams talks about Jennifer Capriati’s comeback

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Jennifer Capriati was a wonderkid by all definitions of the word. She turned pro at the age of 13 and even achieved great feats as a young player in the WTA. She was groomed for success early on in her life, having trained under Jimmy Evert, the father of the legendary Chris Evert. Her victory over Steffi Graf in the 1992 Olympics threw even more limelight on her than one could’ve imagined at 16.

However, all was not well for Capriati. In 1993, she started experiencing the stress of being a player and eventually crumbled under the pressure. In 1994, at the age of 18, Capriati was arrested for drug possession and subsequently went on a hiatus. She returned to tennis in 1996, but it took her a while to play at the level of the champions.

Rick Macci talked about the life events of Capriati in a recent podcast with Fabio Molle. In ‘The Functional Tennis Podcast’, Macci told listeners about how Capriati came back to her perceived level. He said that even Rocky Balboa’s comeback in his movies was not as intense as Capriati’s.

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You talk about the comeback, forget Rocky Balboa. You wanna talk about a movie?” He told Molle, “You don’t lose the ability, the talent, but a lot of stuff can get into your head.

He then discussed Capriati’s role in the movie ‘King Richard’ and thought that her portrayal should have been a little different, “Even with the movie King Richard, I wish they had put in the credits her comebacks because how she was portrayed was one way. But they should’ve told the other story, the backstory.

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Capriati lifted her first Grand Slam in 2001 after she defeated Martina Hingis in the final of the Australian Open to show the world that she was the best again. She remained in the top 10 till 2004. Subsequently, in the same year, she was forced to retire from Tennis after an injury. However, her story of redemption should always be remembered in the realm of tennis.