Tributes pour in after former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna dies aged 49
Novotna, who won the Wimbledon title in 1998, died ‘peacefully’ after battle with cancer surrounded by family in her native Czech Republic
Emotional tributes poured in for former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna after she died at the age of 49 following a long battle with cancer.
Novotna, who won the Wimbledon title in 1998 when she defeated France’s Nathalie Tauziat in the final, died on Sunday in her native Czech Republic surrounded by her family, a WTA statement said.
She played in two other Wimbledon singles finals, losing to Steffi Graf in 1993 and to Martina Hingis in 1997.
The picture of a distraught Novotna being comforted by the Duchess of Kent after losing the 1993 final when she had led 4-1 in the final set is one of the memorable Wimbledon moments.
Novotna also won four Wimbledon doubles titles with compatriot Helena Sukova in 1989 and 1990, with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in 1995 and with Hingis in 1998.
