On the Telephone, Capriati Just Another Teen

Jennifer Capriati said she was a normal 15-year-old.

Normal, maybe.

Typical, no way.

Capriati, wunderkind of Wimbledon, the girl who turned Martina Navratilova into a 6-4, 7-5 trivia answer and became the youngest to play in the semifinals--at 15 years, 96 days--spoke for 15 minutes on a conference call at the La Costa Hotel and Spa. It is there that Capriati competes July 29 to Aug. 4 in the Mazda Tennis Classic.

Capriati, who lost 6-4, 6-4 to Gabriela Sabatini in the semifinals at Wimbledon, closed her call by saying, “I’m looking forward to being there in San Francisco.”

Kids say the darnedest things.

This will be Capriati’s second trip to San Diego. She couldn’t remember why she was here the first time--maybe she’s not a big fan of large fish or she caught the zoo before Tiger River became a fixture. The last thing she was interested in Friday was lending any thought to her answers. Instead of the unusually insightful girl who is mature beyond her years, the media got, well, a normal 15-year-old.

But not a typical 15-year-old. This 15-year-old was pulling herself away from an Oil of Olay television commercial. This 15-year-old gets asked for her autograph. This 15-year-old will make more money this year than her high school teachers.

The conference call caught the commercial production staff off-guard, and the giggles in the background indicated that maybe Capriati found her room in Saddlebrook, Fla., much more interesting than the media a continent away.

Herewith, the world according to Jennifer:

--No, she hasn’t seen Monica Seles, the world’s No. 1 ranked player who pulled out of Wimbledon for no reason yet made public. And apparently, Capriati doesn’t really care.

“I really haven’t been that into it.”

--No, she doesn’t think of Seles as a glamour girl.

“Because she plays tennis so good, I don’t think of her that way.”

--No, she’s never pulled out of a tournament without giving a reason.

“I’ve only been out (on the pro tour) a year and a half.”

--Yes, Wimbledon was her best performance.

“I just wanted to play well and work on the things that I’ve been working on, try to do those things well, and maybe if I ever get to a good, top player, hopefully, maybe, come close or even beat them--which I did.”

--No, she doesn’t know when she’ll challenge the Seleses, Grafs and Sabatinis for No. 1 in the world.

“After I did well at Wimbledon, it gave me a lot of confidence that I can beat some of these players. It depends a lot on how I do down the road, in six months, in a year. I don’t really know because there’s so many good players out there.”

--Yes, she does have the overwhelming desire--the obsession--to be No. 1.

“I really want it someday.”

--Yes, she wants the 1991 Special Edition Mazda Miata--about $20,000 worth of sports car--that goes to the winner.

“Yeah I want the car, now that I can drive--with a permit, at least.”

Normal 15-year-old.

Tennis Notes

La Mesa’s Ingrid Kurta defeated San Diego’s Laura Richards, 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 7-5 in the opportunity tournament. Kurta’s victory gave her a wild-card entry into the July 27-28 qualifying tournament. . . . Jane Stratton, president of Promotion Sports, Inc., expects No. 2-ranked Steffi Graf to join the field. Graf entered two tournaments after the French Open to meet Monica Seles and, with Seles’ withdrawal from Wimbledon, San Diego seems an ideal place for Graf to try to get another meeting against the world’s No. 1-ranked player. . . . Spectator capacity is 5,200 for the tournament. Twelve-inch risers are being used in the east and west bleachers to avoid the problem that plagued the Davis Cup matches--seats that didn’t have visual access to the entire court. . . . In addition to Seles, the 28-player tournament features Conchita Martinez (No. 8), Manuela Maleeva Fragniere (No. 10) and Zina Garrison (No. 11).