Jana Novotná

Jana Novotná (b. October 2 1968 in Brno, Czechoslovakia) is a former professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. She is best remembered for winning the women's singles title at Wimbledon in 1998, and for crying on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent after losing the Wimbledon singles final in 1993. Novotná was also an outstanding doubles player who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles.

Related Topics:
October 2 - 1968 - Brno - Czechoslovakia - Tennis - Czech Republic - Wimbledon - 1998 - Duchess of Kent - 1993 - Grand Slam

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Novotná turned professional in 1986. In the early years of her career she was known primarily for her success as a doubles player. In the early-1990s, she took on four-time former Grand Slam singles champion Hana Mandlíková as her coach, and began to distinguish herself as a singles player.

Related Topics:
1986 - Hana Mandlíková

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Novotná reached her first Grand Slam singles final in 1991 at the Australian Open, where she lost in three sets to Monica Seles 5-7, 6-3, 6-1.

Related Topics:
1991 - Australian Open - Monica Seles

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Two years later, Novotná reached her first singles final at Wimbledon where she faced Steffi Graf. After losing a tight first set, Novotná put in an almost flawless performance to take a 6-7, 6-1, 4-1, 40-15 lead. However, with a convincing victory seemingly in her grasp, she lost her nerve and began missing easy shots, sometimes hitting the ball out by wide margins (including an infamous overhead smash that hit the back tarp). Graf took the next five games in sucession and the title. During the prize-presentation ceremony, a distraught Novotná burst into tears and cried on the Duchess of Kent's shoulder. The Duchess comforted her by saying that she was sure Novotná would win the title one day. But at the time, many doubted that this was likely given how dramatically she had choked against Graf.

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It took four years for Novotná to reach another Wimbledon final. In 1997 she faced Martina Hingis. Novotná dominated the first set, which she won 6-2. But she then succumbed to the Swiss teen's accurate passing shots and lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. However Novotná went on to win the 1997 WTA Tour Championships, and finished the year ranked a career-high World No. 2 in singles.

Related Topics:
1997 - Martina Hingis - WTA Tour Championships

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Novotná's moment of Wimbledon glory finally arrived in 1998. After routing a young Venus Williams in the quarter-final, she avenged the previous year's loss by ousting Hingis in the semi-finals, and then angled past another veteran, Nathalie Tauziat, in the final 6-4, 7-6.

Related Topics:
Venus Williams - Nathalie Tauziat

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Novotná also won 12 Grand Slam women's doubles titles (4 Wimbledon, 3 French Open, 3 US Open, and 2 Australian Open), and 4 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles (2 Australian Open, 1 Wimbledon, and 1 US Open). She was ranked the World No. 1 doubles player 11 times.

Related Topics:
French Open - US Open

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Novotná was a member of the Czechoslovakian team which won the Fed Cup in 1988. At the Olympic Games, Novotná was a women's doubles Silver medalist in 1988 and 1996, and a singles Bronze medalist in 1996.

Related Topics:
Fed Cup - 1988 - Olympic Games - 1996

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Novotná retired from the professional tour in 1999. During her 12-year career, she won 24 singles titles and 76 doubles titles (a total of exactly 100 titles). Despite winning titles on all surfaces, Novotná will forever be identified with Wimbledon – the site of both her greatest failure and biggest triumph.

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Novotná was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. Novotná was one of the few openly lesbian players on the WTA Tour.

Related Topics:
International Tennis Hall of Fame - 2005

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