Wimbledon champion Novotna dies from cancer

Jana Novotna, the Czech tennis star who famously cried on the Duchess of Kent’s shoulder after losing a Wimbledon singles final in 1993 and then triumphed at the same tournament five years later, died Sunday in the Czech Republic. She was 49.

The Women’s Tennis Association confirmed her death in a statement, which did not specify where in her native country she died. She had cancer.

Novotna won 17 Grand Slam titles, 16 of them in doubles and mixed doubles, as well as three Olympic medals. But it was her singles career that came to define her.

She had sought for years to dominate the lawn at Wimbledon. In 1993, she appeared to be on the verge of just such a victory. Up by 4-1 in the final set against Steffi Graf, Novotna lost the match, 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 6-4.

As the trophies were being presented, the Czech tennis player cried on the Duchess of Kent’s shoulder.

“Jana, I believe that you will do it, don’t worry,” the duchess told her, by Novotna’s account. Five years later, she did. Novotna, then 29, defeated Nathalie Tauziat of France, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), to lift the Wimbledon singles trophy for the first and only time.

“Jana was an inspiration both on and off the court to anyone who had the opportunity to know her,” said Steve Simon, the Women’s Tennis Association’s chief executive. “Her star will always shine brightly in the history of the WTA.”

Novotna turned professional in 1987 and initially drew attention as a doubles player. She began to make a name for herself as a singles player in 1990 — eight years before she won the women’s singles title at Wimbledon.

Known for her serve-and-volley game, she was ranked 13th among women by 1990. By 1993, she was facing off with Graf in the Wimbledon finals. She returned to the tournament finale in 1997 but lost to Martina Hingis of Switzerland.

The following year, Novotna beat Venus Williams in the quarterfinal and exacted some measure of revenge by defeating Hingis in the semifinals. By beating Tauziat, she became the oldest first-time female Grand Slam champion in the Open era. That record stood until 2010, when Francesca Schiavone of Italy won the French Open less than three weeks before her 30th birthday.

She retired from professional tennis in 1999 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.

Novotna