The feud between Billie Jean King and Jennifer Capriati that saw her kicked off Team USA in 2002

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Team USA didn’t have the best of starts to their 2002 Fed Cup campaign…

After withdrawing from the 2001 Fed Cup due to security concerns, Billie Jean King had hoped to lead her team to glory on their return.

The team were one of the hot favorites to win the competition, featuring the reigning Australian Open and French Open champion Jennifer Capriati and nine-time Grand Slam winner Monica Seles.

However, days before their first-round tie against Austria, the team lost their highest-ranked player.

Capriati was kicked off the team after tensions between her and King boiled over.

Billie Jean King kicked Jennifer Capriati off the team for breaking coaching rules

With the tie set to begin on Sunday, the King and Capriati feud began on Tuesday, when the latter’s father, Sefano Capriati, was told he needed to leave as they were in the middle of a ‘closed’ practice session.

Capriati, the 2002 Australian Open champion, then scheduled a session with her coach and a hitting partner on Friday after team practice.

The decision infuriated King, who had worked hard to create a team culture within the American camp and believed Capriati’s actions were undermining that ideology.

As a result, King dismissed Capriati from the team, as she and her family left Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday evening.

“The Fed Cup competition is comprised of team play, and our team’s rules apply to all players to ensure a team concept,” said King.

“We are disappointed that Jennifer [Capriati] did not agree to comply with our closed, team-only practice policy, and as a result, was excused from the team. We wish Jennifer the best of success in the upcoming European swing and in defense of her French Open title.”

Sharing her confusion over the decision, Capriati released the following statement via her management company, IMG.

“I never did practice and do not believe I did anything to hurt the team. It is amazing to me that I am being penalized so severely for simply wanting to prepare as best I can for the Federation Cup and my other commitments,” said Capriati.

“It never occurred to me that little-known policies that conflicted with my serious preparation for upcoming tour events would result in this ending.”

King and Capriati’s relationship had turned sour, and Team USA were punished because of it.

As Capriati had already been selected to play for the team, Austria were given a walkover, taking a 1-0 lead before the tie had even begun.

But were the Americans able to turn things around without their star player?

Team USA lost to Austria at the 2002 Fed Cup

Trailing 1-0 following Capriati’s withdrawal, Team USA looked to Seles to level things at 1-1.

Unfortunately, she was unable to do so, losing out to Barbara Schwartz in straight sets 6-7, 2-6.

Meghann Shaughnessy was tasked with keeping the American title hopes alive, playing Schwartz on day two.

Taking the first set 6-4, it looked like she might do just that, but couldn’t quite get over the line, losing 6-4, 6-7, 7-9 to her Austrian opponent in a thriller.

Down 3-0, Team USA were eliminated from the Fed Cup, as a disastrous week drew to a close for King and her players.

The team salvaged some pride by winning the final two matches, but wanted to move on from the tournament as quickly as possible.

Capriati never returned to play another tie for the United States at the Fed Cup, even after Zina Garrison replaced King as captain in December 2003.

King remains one of the most successful captains in Fed Cup history, leading the United States to four titles (1976, 1996, 1999, 2000)

The competition was renamed in her honor in 2020, as fans around the world now enjoy the action at the Billie Jean King Cup.

King will hope to see the United States pick up their first title in eight years at the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals and could move one step towards their goal with a win over Great Britain in the semifinals on Saturday, September 20.