Capriati Excited About Olympics

It has all become so routine to her, just part of life as a teen-age tennis star.

Centre Court at Wimbledon. The quarterfinals of the French Open. Autograph seekers and adulation from Hilton Head to Hong Kong. Ho-hum.

Jennifer Capriati has accomplished so much by the age of 16 that she often seems bored with the jet-setting lifestyle of the tennis tour.

But she quickly loses her air of indifference and springs to life when the Olympics are mentioned.

“It means a lot to me to be in the Olympics, even more than competing in the Grand Slam events,” she said. “You are able to play for your country and it’s just the greatest feeling in the world.”

Capriati will be one of the favorites for a medal in Barcelona, especially since three of the world’s top four women players will miss the Olympics. Monica Seles, Gabriela Sabatini and Martina Navratilova are ineligible because they failed to play in the Federation Cup last summer.

Capriati was on the U.S. team that lost to Spain in the final of the Federation Cup last summer in England and on the winning American squad at the 1990 Federation Cup in Atlanta.

“I just like playing for my country and playing for a team instead of as an individual,” said Capriati, who reveled in the camaraderie with teammates Mary Joe Fernandez, Zina Garrison and Gigi Fernandez at last summer’s Federation Cup.

The same team will represent the United States at the Olympics. Capriati will be joined in singles by Garrison and Mary Joe Fernandez, while Mary Joe and Gigi Fernandez--who are not related--will play doubles.

Capriati has never played in an Olympics, and she relishes the opportunity to be part of the U.S. team at Barcelona.

“I’m looking forward just to see all the athletes and feel the feeling out there,” she said.