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Jennifer Capriati
© PA Photos

Jennifer Capriati
Age: 28, Profession: Tennis player

In many ways, Jennifer Capriati had the perfect start to her career. She was talented at sports, was given the best coaching money could buy from four years old and in 1991 she caused a stir when she reached the Wimbledon semi-finals, aged just 15 years old. With a wealthy family and her father as her coach, she couldn't fail.

But within two short years it had all gone wrong. She had been in trouble with the police, arrested for possession of marijuana and burned out in her career. Fired by the twin sensation of her rapid success at Wimbledon and equally quick fall from grace, the press would not leave her alone.

She was overwhelmed with all the ruthless competition and the pressure of playing tennis at such a high level so quickly. 'I only had a couple of years to watch before I was playing these players,' she said about the women's tennis greats of the time.

After five years, she began to tire of a life without world-class tennis and she returned to the game with a vengeance, more mature and able to deal with the pressures, to win two grand slam tournaments in 2001.

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Other Fame Files:
Paul Abbott
Jennifer Capriati
Alicia Keys
Neil Morrissey