Despite not having won a tournament since last year's Australian Open, Jennifer Capriati still believes she has the game to compete with the tour's best.
"It's not something I tend to dwell upon, because if I did, my confidence would drop and it would put more pressure on me," said Capriati. "People tend to view the fact that I haven't won a title as a negative thing. But I've been close and it's not that I've played so badly and can't win matches," she said. "It's not easy to win tournaments. Some people put a string together and are having a good time. For me it's been a while, but I've still had good results."
At Wimbledon, Capriati suffered her eighth straight loss to world No. 1 Serena Williams when she fell 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the quarter-finals. Recently, Capriati lost to Kim Clijsters in the Bank of West Classic final.
Seven of those losses have come in three-set matches, which is something that Capriati sees as a positive. "I was encouraged by it (the Wimbledon result)," said Capriati. I had a chance to win. It was close and maybe that's why I'm so eager to get back on court. Maybe I need just a little bit more of a push to get to the next step."
Since winning her third Grand Slam title in Australia 18 months ago, Capriati has not only struggled against Serena, but has also lost to other elite players, including Belgium's Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne, compatriot Lindsay Davenport and France's Amelie Mauresmo.
The aggressive baseliner said she's attempting to add to her on-court repertoire, but still doesn't own a big first serve, dependable second serve or competent volley. "The improvements are really coming," she said. "It's just a matter of a few points here and there. I have the physical conditioning, but I need the matches and that winning mentality.
"When I get in those close matches I have to believe that I have got it all there. All it takes is just doing it."
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