Elena Rybakina was presented with the Australian Open trophy by former World No. 1 Jennifer Capriati, who lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup herself twice. Capriati had an impressive career but she also had more than her fair share of controversies.
Jennifer Capriati’s Impressive Tennis Beginnings and Arrest in 1994
Capriati was a precocious talent and she reached the semifinals of her Grand Slam debut at the 1990 French Open, aged just 13. Here, she lost to a 16-year-old Monica Seles, who went on to win the tournament. That year, the American became the youngest-ever player to be in the Top 10 of the WTA or ATP rankings, a record she still holds today.
Capriati’s best tennis moment as a teenager came at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where she won the gold after beating none other than Steffi Graf in the final. The American’s career seemed to be going at an upper trajectory when things began to go downhill in her off-court life.
A year after her Olympic triumph, Capriati was charged with shoplifting a ring, an act she said was accidental. In 1994, the American was arrested on charges of marijuana possession in her hotel room in Coral Gables, Florida. Capriati, who had previously taken a break from tennis following her opening-round exit at the 1993 US Open, played just once in 1994 and did not play at all in 1995. As a result, her ranking fell down.
There had been a lot of talk about Capriati being burned out due to her pressure from her father and longtime coach, Stefano, who died in 2015. However, the American disagreed with that claim and came to her father’s defense in 2024 while responding to comments made by Lindsay Davenport.
“@LDavenport76 @TennisChannel I can’t believe what I just heard being said about my father. I can’t let my father’s memory be slandered any longer. My father was the most loving, kind, supportive, beautiful father a daughter could ask for. He was adored and loved by everyone,” Capriati said.
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Capriati’s Incredible Resurgence and Rise to World No. 1
Capriati returned to tennis action in 1996 and started to show signs of resurgence in the late 1990s. By the end of 2000, she was back in the Top 15 of the WTA rankings and even became the World No. 1 in 2001 after winning the Australian Open and the French Open that year.
Capriati successfully defended her Australian Open crown in 2002 after saving as many as four championship points against Martina Hingis, who was playing her sixth successive final at the Melbourne Major. She retired from tennis in 2004 after ending the year in the Top 10.
Capriati has maintained a very low profile life following her retirement but has had some controversies as well, having been charged with batter and stalking after an incident with a former boyfriend of hers in 2013. The charges were eventually dropped the following year after she completed 30 hours of community service and four hours of anger management counselling. Capriati was also inducted to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014.
The American arrived in Australia 25 years after winning her first Grand Slam and brought out the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup onto the Rod Laver Arena before the women’s singles final between Sabalenka and Rybakina.
Tonight’s prize 🏆
2001 and 2002 AO champion Jennifer Capriati brings out the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup onto RLA…@wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/FflD9NIRoJ
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 31, 2026
Capriati later presented Rybakina and Sabalenka with their respective trophies. For Rybakina, this was her second Grand Slam singles title while Sabalenka suffered her second Australian Open final defeat on the trot.
