Jana Novotná

Infobox Tennis player
playername= Jana Novotna
nickname=
country= CZE
residence= Brno, Czech Republic
datebirth= birth date and age|mf=yes|1968|10|2
placebirth= Brno, Czechoslovakia
height= height|m=1.75
weight= convert|63|kg|lb st|abbr=on|lk=on
turnedpro= 1987
retired= 1999
plays= Right-handed
careerprizemoney= $ 11,249,284
singlesrecord= 571–225
singlestitles= 24 (2 ITF)
highestsinglesranking= 2 (July 7, 1997)
AustralianOpenresult= F (1991)
FrenchOpenresult= SF (1990, 1996)
Wimbledonresult= W (1998)
USOpenresult= SF (1994, 1997)
Othertournaments = Yes
WTAChampionshipsresult = W (1997)
doublesrecord= 697–153
doublestitles= 76 (6 ITF)
highestdoublesranking= 1 (August 27, 1990)
updated= 2006

Jana Novotna (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. Novotna also won 12 Grand Slam women's doubles titles and 4 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.

Career

Novotna 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, Novotna began to have success in singles once four-time Grand Slam singles champion Hana Mandlikova became her coach. Novotna was one of the top serve and volleyers of her time, a rarity in women's tennis.

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

Two years later, Novotna reached her first singles final at Wimbledon, where she faced Steffi Graf. After losing a tight first set, Novotna took a 6–7, 6–1, 4–1, 40-15 lead. With 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 and the title. During the prize presentation ceremony, a distraught Novotna burst into tears and cried on the Duchess of Kent's shoulder. The Duchess comforted her by saying that she was sure Novotna would win the title one day. But at the time, many doubted that this would happen given how dramatically she had choked against Graf.It took four years for Novotna to reach another Wimbledon final. In 1997, she faced Martina Hingis. Novotna won the first set. But she then succumbed to the Swiss teen's accurate passing shots and lost 2–6, 6–3, 6–3. However, Novotna won the 1997 WTA Tour Championships and finished the year ranked a career-high World No. 2 in singles.

Novotna's moment of Wimbledon glory finally arrived in 1998. After defeating a young Venus Williams in a close quarterfinal, Novotna avenged the previous year's loss by ousting Hingis in a semifinal and veteran Nathalie Tauziat in the final 6–4, 7–6.

She won 12 Grand Slam women's doubles titles (four at Wimbledon, three at the French Open, three at the U.S. Open, and two at the Australian Open) and 4 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles (two at the Australian Open, one at Wimbledon, and one at the U.S. Open). She was 11 times the year end top ranked doubles player.

Novotna was a member of the Czechoslovakian team that won the Fed Cup in 1988. At the Olympic Games, Novotna was a women's doubles silver medalist in 1988 and 1996 and a singles bronze medalist in 1996.

Novotna retired from the professional tour in 1999. During her 14-year career, she won 100 titles (24 in singles and 76 in doubles).

Novotna was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.

Grand Slam singles finals

Win (1)

Runner-ups (11)

Doubles (76)

* 1987 - Hamburg (w/Kohde-Kilsch), Strasbourg (w/Suire), San Diego (w/Suire)
* 1988 - Oklahoma City (w/Suire), Rome (w/Suire), Hamburg (w/Scheuer-Larsen), Canadian Open (w/Sukova), Mahwah (w/Sukova)
* 1989 - Wimbledon (w/Sukova), Miami (w/Sukova), Boca Raton (w/Sukova), Brisbane (w/Sukova), Barcelona (w/Scheuer-Larsen), European Indoors (w/Sukova)
* 1990 - Australian Open (w/Sukova), French Open (w/Sukova), Wimbledon (w/Sukova), Miami (w/Sukova), Brisbane (w/Sukova), Sydney (w/Sukova), Indian Wells (w/Sukova), Boca Raton (w/Sukova), Los Angeles (w/G. Fernandez)
* 1991 - French Open (w/G. Fernandez), Brisbane (w/G. Fernandez), Chicago (w/G. Fernandez), Hamburg (w/Neiland), Washington, DC (w/Neiland), European Indoors (w/A. Strnadova),Filderstadt (w/Navratilova), Philadelphia (w/Neiland)
* 1992 - Brisbane (w/Neiland), Light ‘n Lively (w/Neiland), Berlin (w/Neiland), Eastbourne (w/Neiland), San Diego (w/Neiland), Leipzig (w/Neiland), Brighton (w/Neiland)
* 1993 - Miami (w/Neiland), Osaka (w/Neiland), Paris Indoors (w/A. Strnadova), Rome (w/Sanchez-Vicario), Canadian Open (w/Neiland)
* 1994 - US Open (w/Sanchez-Vicario), Delray Beach (w/Sanchez-Vicario), Light ’n Lively Doubles (w/Sanchez-Vicario), Hamburg (w/Sanchez-Vicario), San Diego (w/Sanchez-Vicario)
* 1995 - Linz - Australian Open (w/Sanchez-Vicario), Wimbledon (w/Sanchez-Vicario), WTA Tour Championships (w/Sanchez-Vicario), Sydney (w/Davenport), Miami (w/Sanchez-Vicario), Delray Beach (w/MJ Fernandez), Eastbourne (w/Sanchez-Vicario)
* 1996 - Paris Indoors (w/Boogert), Miami (w/Sanchez-Vicario), Hilton Head (w/Sanchez-Vicario), Madrid (w/Sanchez-Vicario), Eastbourne (w/Sanchez-Vicario), Filderstadt (w/Arendt)
* 1997 - US Open (w/Davenport), Season-Ending Championships (w/Davenport), Paris Indoors (w/Hingis), Amelia Island (w/Davenport), Berlin (w/Davenport), Leipzig (w/Hingis)
* 1998 - French Open (w/Hingis), Wimbledon (w/Hingis), US Open (w/Hingis), Miami (w/Hingis), Eastbourne (w/de Swardt), Canadian Open (w/Hingis)
* 1999 - Miami (w/Hingis), Hilton Head (w/Likhovtseva), Canadian Open (w/Pierce)

External links

*wta|id=140029|name=Jana Novotna
* [http://www.tennisfame.com/famer.aspx?pgID=867&hof_id=225 International Tennis Hall of Fame biography]
* [http://www.fedcup.com/teams/player.asp?player=20000114 Fed Cup record]