Throwback to when Martina Navratilova expressed reservation at Jennifer Capriati playing on the WTA tour due to her young age

Tennis fans are now accustomed to seeing several promising talent begin their career at a very young age, but WTA great Martina Navratilova once spoke out against former American player Jennifer Capriati competing on tour when the latter was barely a teenager.

Capriati was introduced to tennis at the age of three by her father Stefano, who eventually recruited the legendary Rick Macci in training his daughter when she was 10 years old. Capriati would go on to make her professional tennis debut at just 13 years of age, participating at the Virginia Slims of Florida in 1990. She would go on a remarkable run, reaching the final and falling to top seed Gabriela Sabatini.

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Navratilova believed Capriati was too young to be on tour

The young American proved to be more than a flash in the pan, making a name for herself at her second professional tournament. Capriati would compete at the Family Circle Cup that same year, losing in the final to an already-established Martina Navratilova in straight sets.

Navratilova was impressed by Capriati's rapid success. However, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion expressed caution at her younger colleague's participation on tour, stating she would not let her own daughter compete on the professional circuit at such a young age.

"I would never have a daughter of my own out there in the professional game at that age," Navratilova was quoted as saying by The Independent.

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Despite the reservations felt by Navratilova and several other pundits, Capriati would continue to grind on the WTA Tour. The American reached the semifinals of the 1990 French Open during her Grand Slam debut. Furthermore, she would end the season ranked as the World No.8.

Nonetheless, Capriati would take a break from tennis at the age of 18 in 1993, during which she admitted to have "lost it" mentally. However, she would make her return 14 months later, and would win the Australian Open in 2001 and 2022, and the French Open in 2001.