Jana Novotná (; 2 October 1968 – 19 November 2017) was a Czech professional
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
player. She was ranked world No. 2 in women's singles by the
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. The association governs the WTA Tour, which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women, and was founded to create a better future fo ...
(WTA) in 1997, and as the
world No. 1 in women's doubles for 67 weeks. Novotná won the women's singles title at
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* W ...
in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
, and was runner-up in three other singles
major
Major most commonly refers to:
* Major (rank), a military rank
* Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits
* People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames
* Major and minor in musi ...
s. She also won twelve major women's doubles titles (completing a double
career Grand Slam), four major mixed doubles titles, and three
Olympic medals. Novotná played a
serve and volley game, an increasingly rare style of play among women during her career.
Career
Novotná turned professional in February 1987.
She was known primarily for her success as a doubles player in the early years of her career. Novotná began to have success in singles in the early 1990s, once four-time
Grand Slam singles champion
Hana Mandlíková
Hana Mandlíková (born 19 February 1962) is a Czech–Australian former professional tennis player. She was ranked world No. 3 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) in the mid-1980s. Mandíková won 27 WTA Tour-level sin ...
became her coach. Mandlíková coached her for nine years. Her earlier coach was
Mike Estep
Mike Estep (born July 19, 1949) is a former professional tennis player from the United States.
During his career Estep won 2 singles titles and 7 doubles titles. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 59 in August 1973.
In 198 ...
.
1990
At the 1990 French Open, Novotná, seeded 11th, achieved her best results in Grand Slam singles play up until that point. Having reached the round of 16, she faced Argentinian
Gabriela Sabatini (seeded fourth). In their four previous meetings Sabatini got the better of her three times, including two straight-set wins. This time proved to be different, as Novotná turned the tables on her. Although Novotná had disposed of Sabatini, she would have to face yet another difficult opponent in the quarterfinals,
Katerina Maleeva
Katerina Georgieva Maleeva (; born 7 May 1969) is a former top 10 Bulgarian tennis player. She won eleven singles and two doubles WTA Tour titles. Her best position in the WTA rankings was No. 6 in 1990.
Biography
Born in Sofia, Maleeva is t ...
(seeded eighth) from Bulgaria. In their two previous meetings Novotná had lost both times, and after Maleeva won the opening set, it appeared Novotná was about to lose to her for a third consecutive time; however, she recovered and eventually won. Despite her success, Novotná's toughest test would be against top-seeded
Steffi Graf
Stefanie Maria Graf ( , ; born 14 June 1969) is a German former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for a r ...
of Germany in the semifinals. When Novotná had faced her three years earlier at the 1987 French Open, Graf won in straight sets. Now, Graf again defeated her without dropping a set.
She qualified for the first time for the season-ending
Virginia Slims Championships in which she was beaten in the first round by Sabatini.
She finished the year ranked No. 13.
1991
Novotná enjoyed an excellent start to the 1991 season at the
Australian Open
The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...
, where she was seeded tenth and beat
Zina Garrison-Jackson 7–6, 6–4 in the round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinal. The path to the final became considerably more difficult, as Novotná had to contend with top-seeded Steffi Graf in the quarterfinal encounter. In their ten previous meetings, Novotná had lost each time against Graf.
However, this time Novotná achieved the upset of her life by defeating Graf, the reigning champion of the last three years, 5–7, 6–4, 8–6. Now just one win away from her first-ever Grand Slam final, Novotná had to stop
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Aránzazu Isabel María "Arantxa" Sánchez Vicario (; born 18 December 1971) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 12 weeks, as well as ...
in the semifinals to get there; this she did, setting up a showdown against
Monica Seles
Monica Seles (born December 2, 1973) is a Serbian–American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for ...
in the final. Seles eventually won in three sets. At the end of the year Novotná was ranked No. 7.
[
]
1993
Two years later, at Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* W ...
, Novotná's game hit full stride, as she played some of her finest tennis ever. But for Novotná (seeded eighth) to capture the title, her path would have to go through Sabatini (seeded fourth), Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova (, ; ; born October18, 1956) is a Czech-American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, singles for 332 weeks (List of WTA number ...
(seeded second) and top-seeded Steffi Graf. Going into her quarterfinal against Sabatini, Novotná had lost six consecutive matches against the Argentine. This time, she took Sabatini apart in straight sets, prevailing 6–4, 6–3. Novotná then set her sights on a semifinal clash against Martina Navratilova, who had won each of their previous five matches. However, Novotná defeated Navratilova, setting up the Championship match against Graf. After losing a tight first set, Novotná took the second set and then had a game point serving at 4–1 in the third set. With victory seemingly within her grasp, she lost her nerve, double-faulted, and allowed Graf to recover. Graf took the next five games 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. Novotná achieved a year-end ranking of No. 6.
1994
She began the 1994 season by reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. In her quarterfinal match, she played Gabriela Sabatini, in what turned out to be their last head-to-head encounter. In their previous meeting, on the grasscourts at the 1993 Wimbledon Championships, Novotná beat Sabatini in a straight-set quarterfinal victory. This time, on the Australian hardcourts, Sabatini defeated Novotná in straight sets. At the French Open, Novotná was beaten in the first round by Anna Smashnova
Anna Aleksandrovna Smashnova (, ; born July 16, 1976) is a Soviet-born Israeli former tennis player. She retired from professional tour after Wimbledon 2007.
Smashnova reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 15 in 2003. She reached ...
in straight sets. At Wimbledon, Novotná reached the quarterfinals where she again faced Martina Navratilova in a rematch from the previous year. Novotná lost in three sets. At the season's final Grand Slam, the US Open, the seventh seeded Novotná worked her way to the semifinals where she played top-seeded Steffi Graf. Dating back to the 1992 French Open, Novotná had lost nine consecutive matches against Graf. This trend would continue as Graf defeated Novotná in straight sets.
1997
It took four years for Novotná to reach another Wimbledon final. In 1997, she faced top-seeded Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis (, ; born 30 September 1980) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 209 weeks ( fifth-most of all time) and as the world No. ...
, and lost in three sets. But to get back to the final, Novotná had to get past Mary Joe Fernández in the round of 16. She outlasted Fernandez then defeated Yayuk Basuki
Yayuk Basuki (born 30 November 1970) is an Indonesian former professional tennis player who is now a politician. She is the highest-ever ranked tennis player from Indonesia, having reached No. 19 in singles in the WTA rankings in October 1997. ...
of Indonesia in the quarterfinals in straight sets. Now back in the semifinals of Wimbledon, her next opponent would be Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. She had prevailed against Novotná in seven of their nine previous contests, but the majority of those matches were played on clay and hard-courts, at which Sánchez Vicario excelled.
On grass, Novotná had a decided advantage, as she defeated Sánchez Vicario in straight sets. In the final against Hingis, she started out fast, taking the opening set 6–2. But Hingis found her stroke and won the second set 6–3 to even the match at one set apiece. The final set proved to be a mirror image of the second set, as Hingis prevailed 6–3, handing Novotná her second loss in a Wimbledon Championship match.
However, Novotná won the Tour Championships after a victory in the final over Mary Pierce and finished the year ranked a career-high world No. 2 in singles. In addition to winning the Tour Championships, Novotná captured three more WTA singles titles for the year.
1998: Wimbledon victory
Her moment of Wimbledon success finally arrived in 1998. After defeating Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American inactive tennis player. She has been ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association, WTA for 11 wee ...
in a close quarterfinal, Novotná avenged the previous year's loss by ousting Martina Hingis in the semifinal in straight sets. She won the singles title by defeating veteran Nathalie Tauziat in the final in two sets. She became the oldest first-time Grand Slam singles winner in the Open Era at age 29 years and nine months. This record would be eclipsed by Francesca Schiavone in 2010 when she won the French Open
The French Open (), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a tennis tournament organized by the French Tennis Federation annually at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It is chronologically the second of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam ...
at 29 years and eleven months and again by Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta (; born 25 February 1982) is an Italian former professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top-ten female singles player on 17 August 2009 and the first Italian to be ranked List of WTA number 1 ranked doubles tennis pla ...
when she won the US Open in 2015 at 33 years and six months.
Novotná won 12 Grand Slam women's doubles titles (four at Wimbledon, three at the French Open, three at the US Open, and two at the Australian Open) and four mixed-doubles titles (two at the Australian Open, one at Wimbledon, and one at the US Open).
Novotná was a member of the Czechoslovakian team that won the Fed Cup
The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
in 1988. At the Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
she was a women's doubles silver medalist in 1988 and 1996, and a singles bronze medalist in 1996.
She won titles on all four surfaces and crossed the $10 million mark in career prize money in 1998, the fifth player to reach the milestone. She won more than 500 career singles matches, the 15th woman in the Open Era to accomplish the feat.
Novotná was named the 1998 WTA Tour Doubles Team of the Year with Martina Hingis, the 1997 International Tennis Federation Doubles Team of the Year with Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Ann Davenport Leach (born June 8, 1976) is an American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 98 weeks (including as the year-end No. 1 four ...
, the 1996 WTA Tour Doubles Team of the Year with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, with Gigi Fernández
Beatriz "Gigi" Fernández (born February 22, 1964) is a Puerto Rican former professional tennis player.
Fernández won 17 Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, major doubles titles and two Olympic gold medals representing the United States, and reach ...
in 1991 and in 1989 and 1990 with Helena Suková
Helena Suková () (born 23 February 1965) is a Czech former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's doubles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and No. 4 in singles. Suková won 14 major titles: nine in wo ...
.
Later years and death
Novotná retired from the professional tour in 1999. During her 14-year career, she won 104 titles (24 in singles, 76 in women's doubles and 4 in mixed doubles). She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, 13 grass tennis courts, an ...
in 2005.
From 2000 to 2002, Novotná was a commentator for Wimbledon for the BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
. From 2006 onward, Novotná played the Ladies' Invitation Doubles tournament at Wimbledon; winning it in 2006, 2007, 2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, 2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
and 2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
. In 2010, her partner was Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova (, ; ; born October18, 1956) is a Czech-American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, singles for 332 weeks (List of WTA number ...
. Also in 2010, she helped Navratilova through her treatment for breast cancer. She played invitational doubles in the other Grand Slams as well and also did charity events and exhibitions. She continued to coach players, including Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejčíková
Barbora Krejčíková (; born 18 December 1995) is a Czech professional tennis player. She has been WTA rankings, ranked as high as world No. 2 in singles and List of WTA number 1 ranked doubles tennis players, world No. 1 in doubles by the Wome ...
.
Novotná lived in Florida until 2010, when she returned to her native Czech Republic. She bought a house and property in the village of Omice, near her hometown of Brno
Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
, where she lived with her partner, former Polish tennis player Iwona Kuczyńska. She died of cancer on 19 November 2017 at the age of 49. She chose to keep her diagnosis of cancer private, only telling her closest friends and relatives.
Grand Slam performance timelines
Singles
Doubles
Mixed doubles
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Novotna, Jana
1968 births
2017 deaths
Deaths from cancer in the Czech Republic
Australian Open (tennis) champions
Czech female tennis players
Czechoslovak female tennis players
French Open champions
Hopman Cup competitors
Olympic bronze medalists for the Czech Republic
Olympic medalists for the Czech Republic in tennis
Olympic silver medalists for Czechoslovakia
Olympic silver medalists for the Czech Republic
Olympic tennis players for Czechoslovakia
Olympic tennis players for the Czech Republic
Tennis players from Brno
Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic)
International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees
Tennis players at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Tennis players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Tennis players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
US Open (tennis) champions
Wimbledon champions
US Open (tennis) junior champions
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in women's singles
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in women's doubles
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in girls' doubles
Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Czech lesbians
Czech LGBTQ sportspeople
Czechoslovak LGBTQ people
Lesbian sportswomen
LGBTQ tennis players
WTA number 1 ranked doubles tennis players
ITF World Champions