"I just wanted to kill myself" - When Jennifer Capriati opened up on her mental health struggles as a teenager

Jennifer Capriati struggled with her mental health when she was a teenager.

The American broke out as a 13-year-old in 1990 and became the youngest-ever player to reach the top 10 of the WTA rankings, doing so at the age of 14. By 1993, she had reached three Grand Slam semifinals and won Olympic gold in Barcelona.

However, things started to go downhill for Capriati following her disappointing defeat to Georgia's Leila Meskhi in the first round of the 1993 US Open.

In an interview with the New York Times, she said that while she "lost it" mentally, her struggles transcended that one defeat.

"I started out O.K., but at the end of the match I couldn't wait to get off the court. Totally, mentally, I just lost it and obviously it goes deeper than that one match. I really was not happy with myself, my tennis, my life, my parents, my coaches, my friends. I spent a week in bed in darkness after that, just hating everything. When I looked in my mirror, I actually saw this distorted image: I was so ugly and so fat, I just wanted to kill myself, really," Jennifer Capriati said.

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Jennifer Capriati finished her career with 3 Grand Slam titles

Jennifer Capriati during her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame

Despite her early mental struggles, Jennifer Capriati ended up having an amazing career in tennis, winning three Grand Slam singles titles. The American had a tough time in the late 1990s but saw a resurgence in the early 2000s.

2001 was a particularly memorable year for Capriati as she won her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, beating Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-3 in the final. She also won the French Open that year, defeating Kim Clijsters 1-6, 6-3, 12-10 in the title clash. Capriati, who also reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open, became the World No. 1 in 2001.

She successfully defended her Australian Open crown in 2002 by beating Martina Hingis 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 in a thrilling final where she had to defend four championship points.

Though Capriati continued to produce some good performances in the years that followed, she was hampered by injuries in 2004 which led to her calling time on her career that year. The last tournament she competed in was the Advanta Championships in Philadelphia, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Vera Zvonareva.