TENNIS / ELLIOTT ALMOND : Better Judgment Needed From the Adults

The sad, sordid affair of Jennifer Capriati, former tennis prodigy, should not come as a surprise. Not when future tennis stars are treated like deities before they reach puberty.

Developing solid ground strokes and good hand-eye coordination is fine, but the Nick Bollettieris and Stefano and Denise Capriatis of the tennis world might consider character development for the next one to come along.

And that takes time, like the aging of a fine wine.

In 1990, Capriati was rushed onto the professional circuit at 13, and because we embrace new faces, she was an instant media and fan hit. She did not let us down, becoming the youngest player to win a match at Wimbledon, and the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist in the French Open. She also reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 1991 and won an Olympic gold medal by defeating Steffi Graf in 1992 at Barcelona.

Since then, she has made more headlines away from the courts. She played her last match in August, and before this week was in another time zone from her public life.

Many chuckled when she was arrested last December for shoplifting a $10 ring. She claimed she forgot she was wearing it when she walked out of the Florida store. It was an acceptable excuse from a millionaire child.

But last week’s arrest for possession of fewer than 20 grams of marijuana, and her subsequent admission into a Miami Beach drug treatment facility have more ominous overtones.

Capriati, 18, who is believed to be estranged from her parents, reportedly spent a wild weekend in Coral Gables, Fla., with new-found friends.

One, Mark Black, told reporters he did not know she was a tennis star after an all-night party.

“I thought she was this girl Jennifer having a great time,” he said, adding that Capriati later told him she simply wanted to be normal.

If that means experiencing growing pains, the Capriatis are getting all the normal they could want.

“What I think we’re seeing here is a teen-ager who is going to learn, who is learning, how to exercise good judgment,” said John Ross, Capriati’s attorney.

But what the world also has witnessed is poor judgment by adults who surround her. That’s not to say Capriati is not responsible for her foibles, but with agents, attorneys, coaches and parents thinking more of dollar signs than maturation, it is a wonder she lasted four years as a successful pro.

She will be missed in the French Open, opening Monday at Roland Garros Stadium with a vacuum in the women’s field. But it’s better to leave her be. She was right to put tennis on the sideline when she walked away last summer.

She needs time to grow up.

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Top-seeded Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf, winners of seven of the past eight Grand Slams, drew easy first-round opponents for the French Open. Sampras will play a qualifier to be determined today, and Graf will face No. 106-ranked Katarina Studenikova of Slovakia.

Andre Agassi, twice a finalist here, drew three-time winner Mats Wilander as his first opponent. Wilander needed a wild-card invitation to make the field, and Agassi, ranked 19th, failed to earn a place among the 16 seeded players.

Defending champion Sergi Bruguera of Spain drew Martin Damm of the Czech Republic; two-time winner Jim Courier drew France’s Jean-Philippe Fleurian, and No. 2-seeded Michael Stich of Germany drew Renzo Furlan of Italy.

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Venus rising: Venus Williams, widely hyped as the next big star of women’s tennis, is expected to make her WTA Tour debut in the Virginia Slims of Los Angeles Aug. 8-14 at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach.

Her father, Richard, said he will seek a wild-card entry for his daughter if she maintains high marks in her schoolwork.

“And I’ll tell you something, her grades are ahead of where they should be,” he said. “So, if I had to make that decision right now, she would play. She’s going out of her way to bring her grades (up to) exactly where they should be.”

Said Jan Diamond, director of the Manhattan Beach tournament: “If she plays our event, we’d be ecstatic. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”

Williams, 6-feet-2 and 130 pounds, was born in Long Beach and grew up in Compton before moving with her family to Florida almost three years ago. She will turn 14 on June 17.

Her father said she will be brought along slowly.

“At 14, Venus probably will play one or two tournaments,” he said. “At 15, she will be allowed to play about four or five. At 16, if she’s doing very well, she can turn professional, but she shouldn’t play more than eight or nine. At 17, she can play full time.”

Said Diamond: “We don’t mind having the exclusive (this year).”

Tennis Notes

Local qualifying for the Prince Cup, a national doubles tournament for amateurs, will be held today at La Canada Flintridge Country Club. Details: (818) 790-4318. . . . Three “opportunity” tournaments--July 6-10 at Rancho San Clemente Tennis & Fitness Club, July 13-17 at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club and July 20-24 at Rancho Valencia Resort--will send their winners into qualifying play for the Toshiba tournament, a WTA Tour event Aug. 1-8 at La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad. . . . Boris Becker, ranked among the top 10 this week for the first time since November, is scheduled to make a rare Southland appearance in the Los Angeles Open Aug. 1-7 at UCLA. Becker won titles at Indian Wells in 1987 and ‘88, but the three-time Wimblebon champion has never played in the L.A. Open. Among others scheduled to compete are Andre Agassi, who won the tournament in 1988, and Michael Chang, a finalist in three of the last five years.

Times staff writer Jerry Crowe contributed to this column.