In 1992, Steffi Graf advanced to the Olympic gold medal match after defeating Mary Joe Fernandez in the semi-finals.
Graf, who defeated Fernandez 6-4, 6-2, had won the gold medal four years prior at the Seoul Olympics.
The German, who went on to win 22 Grand Slam singles titles during her career, faced an interesting opponent in the 1992 Olympic final, held in Barcelona.
Jennifer Capriati awaited the German. Despite being only 16 years old, Capriati had already reached three Grand Slam semis and cracked the top ten by the time she faced Graf in Barcelona.
And on that day in 1992, the American made tennis history.
Jennifer Capriati won the Olympic gold medal in singles at 16 years old
In 1992, 16-year-old American star Jennifer Capriati defeated Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to advance to the gold medal match in Barcelona.
The American then defeated Steffi Graf 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in front of the Spanish crowd.
By doing so, she became the youngest-ever Olympic gold medallist in singles, usurping Graf’s 1988 gold medal triumph in Seoul, South Korea.
As per Tennis.com, Capriati said: It was so emotional, I got the chills out there. This is unbelievable. I mean, I can’t believe it.
“The last two weeks, I saw all the other athletes up there on the victory stand and I thought, ‘wow, that would be so cool.’“
After the match, Graf reflected on her opponent’s triumph, noting how her own Olympic successes boosted her belief.
She said: “It helped me to believe in myself. I’m sure for Jennifer, it’s going to help her a lot, even more.”
Graf also won the Olympic test event aged 15 at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
See how you get on with this tricky tennis quiz!
Jennifer Capriati’s Grand Slam triumphs
Jennifer Capriati had a 100 per cent record in Grand Slam singles finals during her career, winning on all three final appearances.
She won her maiden title at the 2001 Australian Open, defeating Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-3 in the final. A few months later, she won the French Open.
Capriati won an all-time classic against Kim Clijsters, beating the Belgian 1-6, 6-4, 12-10 in front of the Paris crowd.
The American defended her Australian Open title in 2002, defeating Martina Hingis once again in the final. Capriati defeated the Swiss star 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 in Melbourne.
