Jennifer Capriati returned to the game that made her a multimillionaire and was blamed for putting her life in a dumper.
Although not in best form, Capriati made an impressive showing against Anke Huber on Wednesday night before losing 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in the opening round of the $750,000 Virginia Slims of Philadelphia."It's great to be back," Capriati said. "My tennis felt strong and better than in the last tournament I played. It was better than it was in the last few tournaments."
The groundstrokes that carried her from junior prodigy to among the best players in the world were there, but she appeared to tire in the final set.
A win would have given Capriati a chance to take advantage of top-seeded Conchita Martinez's first-round loss to Nathalie Tauziat.
For Capriati, the match was not about winning and losing, but simply playing - escaping for 89 minutes from a troubled year to play the sport that set her apart from everyone else.
"I just want to play my best - whatever that is," she said. "My goal right now isn't to be No. 1. I just want to play."
Capriati pounded the same groundstrokes that made her a six-time tournament winner, but with less consistency. Her serve topped out at 96 mph, but it was mostly ineffective against her 19-year-old German foe.
In the opening game, Capriati looked as if she hadn't been away from the tour at all. She won the first point when Huber hit into the net and broke Huber's serve moments later with a deep return that Huber was unable to handle.
"She hit the ball well," Huber said. "She made a few mistakes, and I'm sure she'll get better in the next couple of months. She played fine.
Capriati had not played a tournament match since Aug. 31, 1993, when she was eliminated by little-known Leila Meskhi in the first round of the U.S. Open.
Frustrated with injuries and burned out by tennis, Capriati left the tour and returned to high school in Florida. Three months later, she was given a citation for walking away from a department store with a $15 ring.
Last May, Capriati was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession while staying in a Coral Gables, Fla., motel room. Two companions, a 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old runaway, were charged with carrying heroin and crack cocaine.
On Wednesday, Capriati appeared much thinner than she did in a police mug shot taken after the May arrest.