PertStatistics 1991 - Capriati vs Navratilova - Wimbledon

[@zeddeka]

Jennifer Capriati's coach at that time was Tom Gullikson, brother of Tim who had previously coached Martina. They swapped notes before this match and Tim said that Martina hated it when her opponent stood in and threatened her serve. We saw Jennifer step in and treat Martina's serve with absolute disdain here.

[@mrmagassi]

Capriati played such a poised and mature game against one of the legends of the sport! Hard to believe she is only 15 years old here!

[@andrewmoores7166]

Thanks for this, been wanting to see highlights of it for years. Special performance from Capriati, so glad she went on to fulfil her potential despite her difficulties.

[@rexdby2984]

Yeah, me too and we’ve been patient. I’ve been looking for highlights from this match for 13 years!

[@doggdogg6019]

Martina's net game is still the best of all time.

[@zuichiang5088]

indeed! i am still amazed by the volleys she can hit

[@hill4252]

Wish the full match was on here, Capriati had so much potential that the pressure was way too high to win a grand slam at such a young age, 2 points away from beating Seles at the US Open in the semis following Wimbledon and the following year the pressure was just too much, it seemed people where saying in 1992 why hasn't she won a grand slam yet? She was only 16! So glad she fulfilled her potential in 2001

[@oscarruizmaroto4129]

I loved watching this match again. I watched it in 1991. It was one of those moments in which another generation of players emerge and they bring something different to the game.

[@rodrickdubose659]

Martina was in the winter of her singles career, but she made the young capriati earn that win.

[@zeddeka]

After this match Martina was asked about Capriati standing in so close to take her serve. Martina said "The way I was serving, she would have had to stand in so close to make sure she hit the ball before it bounced twice."

[@atlantaguy178]

Was an interesting match, young versus older. I remember watching this at the time and didn’t think that Martina played that badly. She had solid volleys and her serves weren’t all that bad. Just Jennifer pulled out some amazing shots those two days and Martina got nervous and her game started to break down. Martina would have needed an awesome day to win this one, like her US Open semi with Graf a few months later.

[@zeddeka]

Part of the problem here was Martina's service action. She'd been fiddling round with it in an attempt to get more slice. It led to a loss of power and more double faults - she changed it back before the US Open that year. Also worth noting that this was the height of Martina's highly publicised trial with Judy Nelson. It inevitably took something out of her mentally and emotionally.

[@shihlin1]

Look at the focus and concentration on Capriati's face, she knew she had this. Hard to believe at this point in time, Jennifer was still 10 years away from playing her best tennis. Don't forget---very few people know Capriati beat Graf at 92 Barcelona Olympics final to win the Gold medal.

[@losangelesrams3472]

I remember watching this match. The tennis world turned upside-down that day!

[@shihlin1]

With this win, people thought it was a changing of the guards except it didn't quite happen that way. Capriati took a long detour from the game and came back playing the best tennis of her life 10 years later. Who woulda thought.

[@2godless]

Capriati was just on fire that day.

[@RachelDavisMatthews]

Martina was just spinning her serve in - no wonder she lost. I have to say this match more than any other GS appearance between 1990-2000 of Capriati's- impressed me the most. She stayed focused, calm, not getting overly excited or arguing line calls. Her composure playing the 9 nine and defending champ is remarkable - regardless of her age. I think everyone's expectations around her inc. the press - added alot of pressure for a 14 yr old starting on the tour. It has to be hard having a father as your coach, not good IMO. Im so glad she did come back and earn 3 GS titles in later years.

[@rexdby2984]

RachelDavisMatthews Capriati didn’t really question many calls as a teenager. She was much more composed and mature here at 15 than she was at 25.

[@billyde88]

The drugs did it

[@zeddeka]

One of the big differences between playing Evert and playing the later generation. Martina could get away with spinning her serve in against Evert, because Evert would back off and let the ball come to her. The younger player could move in, take the ball earlier and attack Martina's serve.

[@michaeljohnson5365]

I think youtube is the best invention ever!

[@pueraeternus111]

When a very young Jennifer Capriati demolished in straight sets the reigning Wimbledon champion - - who the year before had won her 9th Wimbledon title - - and the greatest grass-court player of all time.

[@zeddeka]

Before this match, Capriati's coach, Tom Gullikson, spoke to his brother Tim, who by coincidence had previously coached Navratilova. Tim let Tom know that Navratilova really didn't like it when players stood in close to return her serve. You can see here how Capriati really incorporated that into her game plan here. It worked really well.

[@quiddy]

I wonder if playing Capriati here reminded Martina of playing Chris Evert. Capriati’s passing shots and movement here were reminiscent of Evert’s. The only thing possibly different was the pace of the groundstrokes and serves coming at her this time was heavier.

[@torbenm2375]

Navratilova was a beast in Wimbledon. Being a Steffi Graf fan since 1985, this was always the matchup which gave me the biggest adrenaline before and in between.

[@scotts8926]

14:37 Look where Capriati is standing for that service return!

[@rodl6792]

Martina was actually asked back then about Capriati standing in so close to return serve. Martina, knowing she had a tough day on serve, quipped : “Jennifer had to stand in that far or the ball would have bounced a second time”.

[@celestialspartan7977]

Remember this Wimbledon made more news due to dramatic pull out of Seles who was on a roll winning AO, RG and she won USO also that year. The entire first week was washed out. Schedule was cramped. Edberg Becker Finals was a foregone conclusion till Stich spoilt the party for them.

[@fitgraphisva]

That was the short period where Martina's serve was "reworked" by Billie Jean with a shorter backswing. It was especially a hot mess in this match. I watched the whole thing and she missed tons of first serves. Smartly, she reverted to her former, trusted serve technique a short while after this and regained her confidence in it. She upset Steffi in the '91 US Open semis, before losing to Monica in the final.

[@billford4469]

Yep. Martina's serve was a big lollipop in this match. Sitting up and no pace.

[@fitgraphisva]

Yes, Bill! I saw her play in a tournament a couple of months before Wimbledon, and remember thinking "What on earth is going on with her serve?" And in the post-match interview, Martina credited Billie Jean with completely changing it, and that she was still getting used to it. Glad it didn't last.

[@derrickvaillancourt4431]

Her serve was still hit or miss even at the Open. It was awful against Sanchez in the quarters and especialy Seles in the final, but amazing vs Graf in the semis.

[@timothywoodard7717]

Do you have the full match please load it with commentators.

[@Dbdbe1]

Would love the full match if you have it. Looks a classic from these highlights.

[@guicon2007]

First time Martina would not play the final in a decade!

[@bodystorm]

Capriati had her first ‘net’ winner at 9:46

[@user-jv9qz2bu1r]

how many Capriati service return winners? she was focused and Martina serve not very robust

[@johniii8147]

Amazing volleying by Martina but not enough to get past Jennifer. Jen’s return of serve and ground game was the too much to beat in that mat. Jen also did a great job holding her composure and focus against the legend of Wimbledon. 1990 proved to be both Martina’s final Wimbledon and grand slam singles title.She was surpassed by the next generation of players.

[@RachelDavisMatthews]

One of the broadcasters happen to bring up this result during the AO play - and Martina really didn't want to talk about it - at all. Think this one really stung, losing to a 15 yr old.

[@zeddeka]

That summer as well, Martina had a lot going on with the palimony trial with Judy Nelson. A lot of people thought her poor performance at Wimbledon was linked to that. So maybe it was also reminding her of a very painful time in her life.

[@michelez715]

I wd much rather see the game scores. Stats can wait till the end of the set, surely? Just a distraction , plastering them over the screen.

[@aagold76]

Martina's worst result since QF loss in 1977....though she did make the QF 20 Straight years...1975-1994- pretty amazing! One thing people are forgetting about- during this match, Martina was getting hounded by the press...she and Judy Nelson had broken up earlier in the year and Judy had just launched a palimony suit against Martina (no same sex marriage at the time). Martina spent most of her Wimbledon prep time prepping for a court case. Her mind probably wasn't fully on tennis.

[@derrickvaillancourt4431]

Capriati was super promising at this point though. Remember she was 1 or 2 super close shots from winning the 91 U.S Open (the winner of Seles-Capriati was always winning the final if it was Martina there and not Graf) which would have made her the youngest ever slam winner ever at 15. She seemed to lose heart for tennis after that result.

[@martynphillips2515]

Couldn't believe Navratilova lost this match to capriati @ 15

[@timothywoodard7717]

Can someone get this match with commentators and scores..please😊 need to hear what is said about the shot making.

[@NOTHEOTHERGUY]

These two would not have met in this round if Seles had not withdrawn. Weird.

[@oza801]

I am surprised how tactical mistakes martina made here by serving too much wide serves and giving capriati too much angle in return.

[@pablofrank2466]

For a very brief moment after this match, some thought that Jennifer Capriati could break Lottie Dod's record of the youngest women's singles champion. Dod accomplished that back in 1887 and with the age eligibility rules in place now (brought in back in 1995 primarily coz of Capriati's early burnout) it's unlikely that it will ever be broken.

[@stayfocused3175]

Nice Video! :) Do you have some more WTA matches from the time around 1998 -2008?

[@kingarthurusatenniscoach1415]

Martina lasted longer and a real champion

[@Masta_Z]

Almost like a different sport back then.

[@CD-hv3vl]

Interesting, Capriati's backhand was better before her comeback. She used it more as a weapon. After her comeback she relied more on her forehand as a weapon.

[@spencerpierce1251]

Must have brought back memories of playing against Evert, just the ball was hit harder...

[@zeddeka]

A lot earlier too. One of the big drawbacks with Evert's stroke mechanics is that she'd back off and wait for the ball to come to her. It gave Martina and others that second or so longer to get into position.

[@solveigthana2398]

Such a satisfying result.

[@lockandloadlikehell]

There's some annoying woman with a grating scream that starts off the cheer after each point

[@michaeljohnson5365]

Martina until this was virtually unbeatable on grass but she played a below par game and Capriati played really well its a shame Capriati ended turning into a shoplifter in later life and falling into the wrong crowd but she made into the top 16 around 2002-2003!

[@glenp6301]

She did slightly better than making it into the top 16, to be fair.

[@ipiap]

@@glenp6301 At 14 she already was in the top ten.

[@rexdby2984]

Top 16?! She got to number one in 2002-03.

[@cush6827]

After this, Martina switched back to her old serve.

[@TheRealDeePoole]

Like if you remember when Navratilova had to abbreviate her service motion for a short time.

[@CallieMasters5000]

I was at this match, sitting in the front row way off in a corner. We'd queued at 4 o'clock in the morning and had all kinds of rain and delays. It was a big deal that Martina lost to this teenager. Capriati could hardly put a sentence together, she was pointless at interviews.

[@ag358]

14 and nervous, have you ever been interviewed for a broadcast that millions of people were watching?

[@phamthehung2]

Jen's got the Evert's forehand.

[@fuckurbody]

Chris’ forehand sucked. She couldnt hit a top spin forehand to save her life. Capriati’s groundstroke was powerful, not just solid.

[@zeddeka]

Interesting that when she came back in the early 2000s, Jen had changed her forehand quite a bit. She'd moved to a more semi western, open stance technique.

[@jpeyton88]

@@fuckurbody Evert won her 86 French with her topspin forehand-she just didn't use is as often-usually hit flat or sidespin. Saw Evert play live in the 80s and she could hit topspin with no problem when she wanted to do so.

[@jpeyton88]

@@fuckurbody Also-Evert's father taught a young Capriati.

[@Menexpert]

God Martina’s serve was awful this whole match. No zip whatsoever. Should’ve stayed to her own game and not tried to copy BJK’s.

[@MachoDefeaters]

Okay can i have ur emails? I would love to trade collections. Thanks!

[@AnnamariaCapriati-xu5iz]

My preferiti in my parents❤❤❤

[@edvardga5380]

Capriti dio el campanazo!! Tumbo a la 9 veces campeona

[@afickafrizal3358]

However, Martina is legend

[@cush6827]

Martina should have returned to her old service BEFORE this Wimbledon instead of after it.

[@michaelschwab9806]

I don't care how much Martina has won..that "strutting" around like a peacock is "annoying" and sometimes she pays the price,as she did in this match..so glad Jennifer won!

[@meansy7753]

Martina looks as if she had adapted her service motion, anyone know if she was injured?

[@kloatlanta]

Jason Means she wasn’t injured just changed her service motion.

[@zeddeka]

Martina was often fiddling with her service motion. She'd moved to this action quite some time before this match in an attempt to get more slice on the ball (you can see her use it in earlier matches in 1991 for example). It really didn't work and she moved back to a more complete motion right after wimbledon.

[@quiddy]

Navratilova vs Evert v2.0

[@timothywoodard7717]

Can anyone send me the match with commentators.

[@ianwilliamson2980]

Wow

[@williamadams5384]

Martina's ground strokes SUCKED. Net play was outstanding if only she had better ground strokes she would be unstoppable.

[@snoozeking7497]

Billie Jean King said, “All my records have been broken by now, and that’s such a bummer. Jennifer Capriati’s records, all related to her age, will stand forever due to revised regulations prohibiting 13-year-olds from playing at this level. I envy her.”

[@zeddeka]

Her groundstrokes were really from an era of wooden racquets. You'd never teach anyone to hit the ball like that now, except for her slice. Her forehand in particular became more and more of a liability as time went by because it could really break down under pressure. In general, her grips and stroke mechanics made it really difficult for her to deal with heavy topspin.

[@stepaushi]

Tom Cruise is on the thumbnail 🤣

[@hardsam68]

American umpires and Wimbledon just do not mix

[@dandecastro51]

Monica Seles was supposed to be the greatest tennis player ever. The German fanatic who stabbed her and ruined her life and history, barely spent 2 years in jail. Drugs ruined Jenjen. Martina and Monica my 2 faves.

[@derrickvaillancourt4431]

"Monica was supposed to be the greatest tennis player ever." Yeah a player who would have been lucky to win 1 Wimbledon even without the stabbing was ever going to be the best ever. And Donald Trump is the best president ever.

[@dandecastro51]

@@derrickvaillancourt4431 I'm confused. When she burst onto the scene, Graf couldn't keep up with her. Thats why the lunafanatic stabbed her. Didnt you watch those matches vs Graf?

[@derrickvaillancourt4431]

@@dandecastro51 Seles at her peak in 91-early 93 when she won 7 of 9 slams still lost 3 of 5 matches to Graf, two in super easy straight sets, including a Wimbledon final 6-2, 6-1, and barely won in 3 sets in the 2 wins. This vs one of the worst ever versions of Graf who was losing regularly to SABATINI, yes SABATINI. Anyway the bottom line is Seles sucked ass on grass, she only made it past the quarters once, the aforementioned 6-2, 6-1 blowout loss to Graf in the finals. She would be lucky to win Wimbeldon even once without the stabbing, let alone the 3 or 4 times minimum the GOAT would need even if grass were her worst surface. She was never going to be the best ever. As for not keeping up, the only one who couldn't keep up is Seles with the next generation players as her awful head to heads with Venus, Serena, Hingis, Davenport prove.

[@RachelDavisMatthews]

@@derrickvaillancourt4431 I think Seles would've beat Graf at the FO, AO and USO the next 2 years IMO. She would've had problems against the Williams sisters, Davenport even w.o the stabbing, and I agree no wins at Wimbledon.

[@formerlymel9549]

@@derrickvaillancourt4431 the reason Seles was stabbed was because from 1992-1993 she'd beaten Graf in 2 of 3 GS finals. It was clear to everyone-- including the guy who stabbed her--that as she continued to improve, she was going to stand in the way of Grafs quest for greatness. You're right about the stats, but they don't tell the full story. Seles was on tour for 6 years before getting stabbed, Graf, 10. By 1992 Seles was really growing into her game and becoming a dominant force. She made it to the final of all 4 slams winning 3 of 4. In 4 years she had a total of 8 slams. She was 3 slams away from Grafs 11 at the time and seemed all but certain to surpass Graf when she started 1993 by beating her in the final of the AO. Sadly, that ended with her stabbing. Graf went on to win the remaining 3 slams of 1993. Prior to the stabbing, she had only played Wimbledon 3 times. In her debut she lost to Graf in the 4th round, the following year, she lost to Garrison in the quarters (who also beat Graf in the semis), and in 1992 she lost to Graf in the final. While the loss to Graf was lopsided, the realization was that she was improving on the surface and could very well win if she didn't run into Graf along the way. While Graf had her number on grass, she had Grafs number at the Australian open where she's never lost to Graf--even after the stabbing. To be fair, if Graf stuck around as long as Seles to when the Williams sisters started to find their form, it's very likely she would've also lost frequently to them-'especially with that glaring weakness in her backhand. I agree with anyone who says tennis is unpredictable and it's hard to know what would've happened. At the time of the stabbing Seles was 3 slams from Grafs total and their h2h was a much closer 6-4. It's definitely not a stretch to say she was gaining on Graf before she was stabbed.

[@keithjacobson1640]

I was a huge fan of this Capriati. Once she won her first major, she totally changed for the absolute worse,

[@jm7804]

not true

[@nickschulman986]

includes a custom winner graphic.. gives no reference to the match score...

[@PertSnergleman]

...that’s what the Umpire’s microphone is for... Fran McDowell if you don’t mind indeed.

[@nickschulman986]

@@PertSnergleman yea, not hearing her call game score. cool vid tho.

[@antonfadeev2163]

девчонкам всегда сложно против мужиков играть... но Каприати смогла, молодец!

[@anthonydecastro6938]

Navratilova is so cocky when it comes to Wimbledon. As if every opponent is supposed to play to her strengths. Chris Evert may have succumbed to that, but not the younger players like Graf, Seles and Capriati. These younger players show that Navratilova's game has become obsolete. Today, she would be passed quite easily by the power game of the players. There is a reason why serve and volley has disappeared from the women's game. It no longer works. And Navratilova should have realized that early on when Graf took Wimbledon away from her.

[@arinmajumder5218]

You are totally wrong! Awfully wrong! Martina's aggressive serve & volley game was ideally suited to the fast & uneven bouncy court of Wimbledon during the 80s. The courts seemed to be much slower in d later part of 90s & as of now. Remember, she had beaten almost all players there including the young Graf in 1987 despite a huge age difference. Graf had to face lot of difficulties to beat her in '88 & '89. She lifted a staggering 20 Wimbledon titles overall including all formats. Unbelievable!!

[@arinmajumder5218]

She played Wimbledon finals 12 times & a consecutive champions of 6 times. Undoubtedly, she can be termed as the 'queen of Wimbledon'. To break this record someone has to win the championship 10 times!!!! I also suggest you to please watch the semifinal of Navratilova & Graf in 1991 where Martina defeated Steffi in an epic match . This match was dubbed by many as the greatest womens' match ever played .Another point, modern players are just the base liners & uses the fast graphite racquets instead of wooden racquets of yesteryears. They simply play like machines , no real joy to watch them. But Navratilova, Pete Sampras, ( the great Sampras...how can u forget? Lol!) Novotna , Edberg , Boris Becker , Goran Ivanisevic were all great champions &: enthralled us with their magnificent style of play which was much more attractive to watch. They were very skilled , stylish, technically sound playes unlike many of today's hard hitters with the help of modern racquet technology!

[@anthonydecastro6938]

@@arinmajumder5218 Sure. Martina is queen of Wimbledon. But really, her opponents have all become stronger, faster, and more adept at passing her at the net. Their serves have also become more powerful. Martina gets to serve only half the time. Peak Martina would still be beaten by peak Steffi Graf on all surfaces, although it may be conceded that Martina may have some advantage on grass.

[@lenwelch2195]

First of all Martina had won W nine times here and she’s 40 percent away from the Martina 1985 serve. That serve was unreturnsble. Here she’s puffing it in under a lot of air simply because her arm is no longer live like it was 1984. With new training capriati sure has an Evert with Power look. Capriati lobbedovermartinas forehand side instead of Chris up the middle towards Martina’s backhand side. She tries different dipping shots - she had far more top spin shots and Chris. Capriotti had it all but she didn’t have Chris’s mind, which is why for years she didn’t play. I’m just very happy for that. She did come back and win three grand slams, and was able to achieve number one in the world, her talent deserve that.

[@guyinsf]

Martina was 13 years older than Graf so that was a huge advantage for Graf and most of their matches occurred after Martina's peak and yet they ended with a 9-9 tie so Martina did get a taste of Graf at her peak more than the other way around. I would say peak Martina would beat peak Graf.

[@oza801]

I found martina’s too good calls to her opponents shots really annoying

[@MrPernell27]

I find your idiotic comment really annoying

[@zeddeka]

??? are you a sociopath?

[@johannamabelfernandez1184]

Navratilova-Ñam Ñam Ñam testosteron Also her- trans people doesn't have to play with their gender!!1

[@osint6372]

stop using the lobbbbbbbbbb....