CAPRIATI RECOVERING FROM OVERDOSE: Jennifer Capriati is in a South Florida hospital today recovering from an overdose of prescribed medication. The 34-year-old is in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery, according to an AP report. The three-time Slam champion and ’92 Olympic gold medalist, long considered the poster child for tennis teen burnout, has had her share of trouble. She was arrested in ’93 for shoplifting, and again in ’94 for marijuana possession, but appeared to turn her career around before struggling with injuries.
Although it’s been called an “accidental overdose,” Capriati spoke of suicide thoughts in a Daily News interview in 2007: “Sometimes you get to a point where you can’t stop what you are thinking,” she told Wayne Coffey. “It’s like you’re being taken over by a demon. You just feel there’s no way out of this space you’re in. It feels like the end of the world. When you are just so exhausted and tired of feeling that way, you [think], ‘I want to be off this planet right now, because I just feel disgusting inside. I can’t even stand my own skin, and I just want to get out.’ The more you stuff it and don’t talk about it, the more it festers and eats you up inside,” she says. “It helps to talk about it with other people who go through it. You can’t wear an iron shield all the time.” News of Capriati’s hospitalization caught players and commentators off guard at Wimbledon. Serena Williams said she would “pray for everyone involved. If there’s any way I can do anything to help, reach out, I definitely will do that.” John McEnroe said Capriati had long suffered from “a lot of depression. We hope that she can pull out of that.”
A SOBER REALITY: Of Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, the Telegraph’s Oliver Brown quipped, “Try pronouncing that name while sober.”
NO SWEAT: The Guardian’s Kevin Mitchell said Roger Fededer is “perhaps the only player on the tour for whom a towel is redundant.”
REMOTE POSSIBILITY: Of the suspect World Cup officiating, Andy Roddick‘s wife, model Brooklyn Decker, Tweeted, “This is why I could never be a true soccer fan…These HORRIBLE calls would make me want to throw remotes at TVs. That would get expensive.”
THEY’RE STILL ‘RUSSIAN’ TO FACEBOOK FOR ANNA: Anna Kournikova, who is joining Martina Hingis in the legends doubles at Wimbledon, is the second-most popular female player on Facebook behind Maria Sharapova.
SOCCER BLOACKOUT: Fans camping out for Wimbledon tickets were told that they couldn’t leave the queue to watch England vs. Germany World Cup showdown. Officials marked site passes with time stamps to ensure that those in line didn’t leave for more than an hour. Anyone who stayed away longer had their tent removed. The All England Club also drew criticism for refusing to show World Cup on outdoor screens in the grounds, and the noise-making vuvuzelas were banned. One fan grumbled, “This is totally ruining the atmosphere of the queue. Everyone is very angry.” Another said, “If it’s just that they don’t want people to watch the match then that’s really rude and petty.”
HEADLINES
Murray: I Will Not Bow to Nerves!
Sharapova Loses Attitude and Wins New Admirers
Soderling Beats Bellucci in His Own Swede Time
Both Men Walk Off Court Worthy Winners After Marathon Prizefight to the Death (regarding Isner-Mahut first round epic)
THE NUMBERS
1: Player left in the men’s draw who has yet to drop a set — Andy Murray.
$15,000: Fine slapped on Victor Hanescu for spitting and swearing at spectators and not “using his best efforts.”
46: Minutes it took Czech Petra Kvitova to upset No. 3 seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-0. (Kvitova had not won a grass-court match before topping Sorana Cirstea in the first round.)
7 to 10: Years is will take for the USTA’s Player Development plan to pay off, according to Patrick McEnroe
QUOTEBOOK
“Wimbledon 2010 has already featured enough drama to fill a West End theatre for a year.” — Paul Newman, The Independent
“The mind-boggling first-round Wimbledon match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut assures that it will be remembered for as long as tennis is played. But the players’ fortitude notwithstanding, it will not be remembered for the quality of play.” — Leonard Cassuto, The New York Times
“People appreciate the body of work I have put together at this tournament.” — Andy Roddick
“I don’t have any tennis nightmares – I don’t think.” — Sam Querrey
“I’m not here really to win Wimbledon.” — Justine Henin prior to losing to compatriot Kim Clijsters 2-6, 6-2, 6-3
“Whether it is motherhood that has brought about a new-found relaxation, Clijsters now seems almost nerveless.” — Simon Cambers
“There’s absolutely no reason we can’t coexist.” — USTA Player Development chief Patrick McEnroe (who oversees training sites in Florida and California) on the academy his brother John will open in New York
