Capriati's dream comes true

Andre Agassi and Jennifer Capriati, the Australian Open men's and women's title winners in Melbourne, have given the game an amazing start to the New Year and proved any obstacle can be overcome if you have absolute belief in your own talents.

Agassi came to terms with the cancer afflicting his mother and sister and found the ability to focus again, while Capriati's well documented problems with drugs and shoplifting cast her as the ultimate basket case who was lost to tennis.

Capriati took the long road back while Agassi, as befits his character, stared down his own fears and emotional concerns and re-dedicated himself to the sport in a matter of months at the end of last year.

"I've had those years where tennis has not been the top priority," admitted Agassi after celebrating his 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over France's Arnaud Clement by diving into the Yarra River in Melbourne. "I think my best tennis can still be ahead of me."

Capriati defeated Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-3. It was the 24-year-old Capriati's first triumph in a Grand Slam tournament, and came five years after she began a comeback in earnest from the setbacks of drug and personal problems.

She said: "Who would have thought I would have ever made it here after so much has happened? Dreams do come true if you keep believing in yourself."