Jana Novotná

Jana Novotná ( born October 2, 1968 in Brno ) is a former Czech (formerly Czechoslovak ) tennis player. She won in her professional career 24 tournaments in singles and 76 in doubles.

Career

Your greatest successes achieved Novotná on fast floor coverings, among other things, the grass courts at Wimbledon.

At first she was successful only as a double player, but with the help of Hana Mandlikova, who won himself four Grand Slam tournaments, she also became a successful single player.

In 1991 she appeared for the first time as such in appearance, when she hit at the Australian Open Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario before she was defeated in three sets in the final of Monica Seles.

At Wimbledon, where she had stood already in the final 1993 and 1997, she succeeded in 1998 by a playoff victory over the Frenchwoman Nathalie Tauziat their only title victory in a Grand Slam tournament.

Special attention gained Novotná regarded as little nerves of steel when she in the final of Wimbledon against Steffi Graf a 6:7 1993 -, 6:1 - and 4:1 - lead in his serve could not keep. Novotná had dominated until that time almost at Graf; victory in mind they verschlug henceforth but also light balls far off. Graf won the match 7:6, 1:6, 6:4. At the award ceremony Novotná burst into tears and was embraced by comforting the Duchess of Kent.

Novotnás best world ranking listing was ranked second in 1998 would have to be world number one by winning the U.S. Open; However, they failed in the semifinals. In 1999, she ended her professional career.

Novotná also went to the Olympic Games. In 1988, she won along with Helena Suková in Seoul the silver medal in doubles for Czechoslovakia; in the final they lost Zina Garrison and Pam Shriver. Eight years later, she lost Suková ( now starting for the Czech Republic ) the finale of Atlanta against Gigi Fernandez and Mary Joe Fernandez. Besides the two silver medals in double Novotná won a bronze medal yet, they 1996 in the match for third place against Mary Joe Fernández secured in singles.

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