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A LEAF DOWN THROUGH
THE RANKINGS, BOTTOMING-OUT
AT 267 IN THE SPRING OF 1998.
A YEAR LATER, HER FATHER SOUGHT
PROFESSIONAL HELP ON THE COURT.
SHMERLER: STEFANO CALLED
HAROLD SOLOMON, WHO'D BEEN
A FORMER WORLD TOP-10er
AND A VERY RENOWNED COACH,
AND SAID, "I WANT YOU TO COACH
MY DAUGHTER."
HAROLD SOLOMON SAID TO STEFANO
ON THE PHONE, "I DON'T WANT
TO HEAR FROM YOU.
IF YOUR DAUGHTER WANTS ME
TO COACH HER, HAVE YOUR DAUGHTER
CALL ME."
SOLOMON: SHE FINALLY CALLED ME
AND SHE SAID, "IF I DO■■TGET IT
TOGETHER NOW AND GIVE IT A SHOT,
THEN, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GONNA
HAPPEN TO ME?
THIS IS PROBABLY MY LAST
CHANCE."
AND I SAID, "IF YOU COULD EVER
DO X IN YOUR CAREER, WOULD
YOU BE HAPPY?"
AND SHE SAID TO ME LIKE
A STARRY-EYED GIRL, SHE SAID,
"GOD, IF I COULD EVER GET BACK
TO BEING RANKED LIKE 20
IN THE WORLD, I'D BE
THE HAPPIEST PERSON OF
ALL-TIME."
AND I SAID TO HER, "WELL,
I THINK THAT YOU SET YOUR
SIGHTS A LITTLE BIT TOO LOW."
NARRATOR: WITH HAROLD SOLOMON
IN HER CORNER, CAPRIATI'S
OUTLOOK BRIGHTENED.
THEN SHE WENT SHOPPING FOR
A NEW LOOK.
SHMERLER: SHE SPOTTED THIS
TRAINER DOWN IN FLORIDA.
SHE SAID, "THAT'S THE BODY
I WANT."
SHE WENT UP TO THE TRAINER,
KAREN BURNETT, AND SAID,
"HELP ME GET INTO THAT PHYSICAL
SHAPE."
BURNETT: "DO YOU WANT TO PLAY?"
THAT WAS REALLY THE ONLY
QUESTION I HAD FOR HER,
AND SHE SAID, "ABSOLUTELY."
AS SHE PUT IT TO ME, "I HAVE
A GOOD COACH, I HAVE A GOOD
TRAINER, I THINK I HAVE
EVERYTHING IN PLACE TO BE
GREAT."
PRICE: A LARGE PART OF HER
WORKING OUT, A LARGE PART OF HER
GETTING INTO SHAPE WAS
SHE DIDN'T LIKE WHAT SHE SAW
IN THE MIRROR.
THROUGH HER WORKING-OUT, SHE
GAINED CONFIDENCE IN HERSELF.
NARRATOR: IN MAY OF 1999,
CAPRIATI WON HER FIRST TITLE
IN 6 YEARS, THE STRASBOURG OPEN.
3 1/2 MONTHS LATER, CAPRIATI,
NOW TUNED AND FOCUSED,
REACHED THE FOURTH ROUND
OF THE U.S. OPEN, LOSING TO
A FAMILIAR FOE, MONICA SELES.
IN THE PRESS CONFERENCE
THAT FOLLOWED, THE 23-YEAR-OLD
TRIED TO CONDUCT A FORMAL BURIAL
OF HER PAST.
CAPRIATI: I WRITE THIS LETTER
TO YOU USING MY OWN WORDS
AND MY OWN THOUGHTS.
I'VE BEEN WANTING TO SHARE THIS
WITH YOU FOR A LONG TIME.
I WASN'T READY UNTIL THIS
MOMENT, BY GIVING THIS TO YOU
ALL, I WISH TO CLOSE
THE ENVELOPE OF MY PAST.
O'CONNOR: SHE TURNED THE TABLES
ON THE MEDIA.
THAT'S WHERE SHE SAID,
"OK, GUESS WHAT?
I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS NOW.
NOT YOU GUYS."
CAPRIATI: LET ME SAY THAT
THE PATH I DID TAKE FOR
A BRIEF PERIOD OF MY LIFE
WAS NOT OF RECKLESS DRUG USE,
HURTING OTHERS, BUT IT WAS
A PATH OF QUIET REBELLION,
OF A LITTLE EXPERIMENTATION
OF A DARKER SIDE...
OF MY CONFUSION IN A CONFUSING
WORLD.
COLLINS: SHE BEGGED THE PRESS
TO LET BYGONES BE BYGONES,
WHICH IS A FAIR REQUEST IN
A WAY, BUT A VERY NAIVE ONE.
CAPRIATI: THIS WILL BE THE FINAL
TIME THAT I SPEAK ABOUT
THE PAST.
I JUST ASK THAT AFTER TODAY
YOU PLEASE RESPECT MY WISHES.
WERTHEIM: FIRST OF ALL,
THE MEDIA, WE DON'T LIKE
GENERALLY BEING TOLD WHAT
WE CAN AND CAN'T ASK PEOPLE.
AND SHE'S ALSO READING THIS
STATEMENT, AND YOU HAVE A SENSE
THAT THIS IS NOT WRITTEN BY HER.
THIS IS JUST ANOTHER ATTEMPT
TO SORT OF SPIN THE SITUATION.
CAPRIATI: I WROTE THIS STATEMENT
BEFORE THE OPEN BEGAN.
I WAITED UNTIL MY RUN WAS OVER
TO SAY ALL THIS.
THANKS FOR LISTENING
AND UNDERSTANDING.
SHMERLER: SHE FELT THAT
WHEN SHE READ THAT STATEMENT,
IT WOULD CLOSE THE DOOR FOREVER.
IT WOULD PUT A BOLT ON THAT
DOOR.
WHAT IT DID WAS IT BUSTED IT
RIGHT OPEN.
REPORTER: JENNIFER, DO YOU STILL
SEE THE MEDIA AS YOUR ADVERSARY?
CAPRIATI: I'M GONNA START
CRYING.
IT'S NOTHING BAD, IT'S JUST...
COLLINS: WE THOUGHT,
"OH, MY GOSH.
DON'T DO THIS, JENNIFER,"
'CAUSE NOW WE GOT HER RIGHT
THERE, SHE'S BREAKING DOWN IN
TEARS.
OR I FELT THAT WAY.
"I DON'T NEED THIS STORY,
JENNIFER.
I DON'T WANT THIS STORY,
BUT YOU'RE THROWING IT AT US."
CAPRIATI: I JUST WISH I DIDN'T
HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS STUFF
ALL THE TIME.
FUHSE: WHEN THAT WAS DONE
AND JENNIFER WENT OFF,
STEFANO HAD TEARS IN HIS EYES
AFTERWARDS SAYING, YOU KNOW,
"WHY CAN'T THEY JUST LET HER
FORGET ABOUT THE PAST?"
SOLOMON: I CAN'T TELL YOU
HOW MANY PEOPLE CAME UP TO ME
AND SAID, "THAT'S THE BIGGEST
MISTAKE THAT SHE'S EVER MADE."
AND I SAID, "NO, I THINK
IT WAS GREAT."
I SAID, "IT REALLY JUST TOOK
A HUGE BURDEN OFF HER
SHOULDERS."■■
PRICE: SHE KNOWS THAT WE'RE
NOT GONNA LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND,
BECAUSE IT'S A REMARKABLE STORY.
BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS
IS THAT SHE GOT IT OUT.
SHE HAD HER SAY.