TENNIS / ELLIOTT ALMOND : Capriatis’ Age-Limit Views Sought

Jennifer Capriati and her parents have been asked to testify next month before a special panel considering whether to increase the minimum age on the women’s tennis tour.

The group’s Age Eligibility Commission, chaired by UCLA sports-medicine specialist Carol Otis, also has solicited views from Tracy Austin, Andrea Jaeger, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King.

“We would very much like to hear from Jennifer, but we’re not sure that will happen,” Anne Worcester, Women’s Tennis Council managing director, said Tuesday at the French Open in Paris.

Capriati’s arrest for alleged marijuana possession last week in Florida has resulted in a debate on the handling of young tennis stars. Capriati, 18, turned professional at 13 but has been off the tour since August. She is undergoing treatment at a drug rehabilitation clinic in Miami Beach, Fla.

“Clearly Jennifer’s decision to take a leave of absence from the tour and the most recent incidents have heightened the visibility and exposure of the age issue,” Worcester said.

In 1991, Capriati was allowed to play her first professional tournament three weeks before her 14th birthday when WTC officials made an exception to their guidelines. The panel is debating the merits of increasing the minimum age from 13 years 11 months to 15 or older. It also is considering restricting the number and level of tournaments a player can enter each year. The panel hopes to make recommendations for the 1995 season.

“We’re not just looking at the age minimum, but the whole issue of promoting career longevity and minimizing the effects of over-training,’ Worcester said. “There are no foregone conclusions.”

Worchester also said Capriati would not be sanctioned for her recent actions, even though the sport’s broad conduct rules could be applied to her situation.

“We’re supporting Jennifer and glad she’s seeking help,” she said. “Suspension would be absolutely out of the question. We’re not happy it happened and it doesn’t reflect positively on women’s tennis. We’ve never had a case like this.”

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Venus Williams, widely heralded 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.

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.

Times staff writer Jerry Crowe contributed to this column.