Capriati Will Make Return Next Week

Jennifer Capriati, away from tennis for more than a year, will return to the tour for next week’s Virginia Slims of Philadelphia.

Capriati, 18, has not played competitive tennis since the 1993 U.S. Open. She left the tour after experiencing personal problems and struggling in matches.

Organizers of the $750,000 tournament said the 1992 Olympic champion accepted a wild-card invitation to the event. The draw to determine first-round matches is scheduled for today.

In her last match, Capriati lost in the first round of the 1993 Open. Burned out by tennis and despairing over her appearance and relationships, Capriati, who turned pro when she was 13, left the tour.

Capriati said she had nightmares after losing in the U.S. Open in 1991 and began crying after she lost in the ’93 Open.

She was arrested for shoplifting last December and, last May in Coral Gables, Fla., she was charged with a misdemeanor drug possession. She went into a 28-day treatment program in Miami Beach, Fla.

Capriati said many of her problems stemmed from turning pro too early.