"Can't let my father's memory be slandered any longer" - Jennifer Capriati hits out at Lindsay Davenport for comments about her father
Jennifer Capriati has hit out at Lindsay Davenport for making comments about her late father Stefano on Tennis Channel.
Stefano was one of the major reasons behind Capriati's rise to tennis superstardom across the early 1990s and 2000s. Under his tutelage, Capriati established herself in the top 10 of the WTA Tour rankings when she was only 14 years old.
Capriati would go on to become World No. 1 in 2001 after winning that year's Australian Open and French Open. Stefano also spearheaded his daughter's charge to a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Despite Stefano's role in shaping Capriati's tennis career, he was a polarizing figure. A former USA Today journalist, Ian O'Connor, once called him out for taking advantage of Capriati as a "ponytailed ATM" (via Bleacher Report). His behavior also came at his daughter's cost in 2002, when Capriati was ruled out from the Fed Cup largely due to Stefano not following team rules.
Stefano died in May 2015 after losing his battle against cancer. Recently, Capriati accused Davenport, a former WTA World No. 1 in both singles and doubles, of slandering Stefano's name. She made the accusation on social media.
"I can't believe what I just heard being said about my father. I can't let my father's memory be slandered any longer. My father was the most loving, kind, supportive, beautiful father a daughter could ask for. He was adored and loved by everyone." Capriati wrote on X, tagging both Lindsay Davenport and TennisChannel in the post.
In a separate post, the 47-year-old American criticized Davenport's comments further. Apparently, Davenport had likened Capriati's father to Mary Pierce and Jelena Dokic's respective fathers, both of whom gained notoriety for their abusive natures.
"I grieve my father’s passing to this day, and to hear his memory and character be assassinated and compared to Pierces, Dokics father is outrageously false, and defamatory. @LDavenport76 Ive heard this several times now, and it’s shockingly hurtful and false."
Jennifer Capriati had virtually no social media presence since March 2020
Jennifer Capriati's social media presence has been virtually non-existent since March 2020. The three-time Grand Slam winner has mostly kept a low profile since then.
In one of her March 2020 social media posts, the 2002 Australian Open champion honored her father Stefano on his birthday.
"Remembering and honoring my Dad on his birthday. As time passes without you, I realize how blessed and lucky I was to have you as my father. I’ve never known such a happy, kind, always positive, supportive and loving human being. This is for my Dads memory with love," Jennifer Capriati wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Capriati hung up her racquet in 2004 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame eight years later.