Novotna dies after battle with cancer

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Novotna dies after battle with cancer

PRAGUE/LONDON – Czech tennis player Jana Novotna, who won the 1998 Wimbledon championship after falling short in two previous finals, has died at the age of 49 after a long battle with cancer.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) said on Monday Novotna died on Sunday surrounded by her family in the Czech Republic.

In a career spanning 14 years that included 24 WTA singles titles and 76 doubles titles, Novotna won her only singles grand slam at Wimbledon in 1998 after losing in the 1993 and 1997 finals.

She won the hearts of fans around the world when she burst into tears after throwing away victory against Steffi Graf in 1993. She was consoled afterwards by a British duchess, who predicted Novotna would one day hold the trophy.

The 16-time grand-slam doubles winner was one of the biggest names in the Czech Republic’stennis history.

“The tennis world is so sad about the passing of Jana Novotna,” Czech tennis heroine Martina Navratilova said on Twitter.

“I am gutted and beyond words — Jana was a true friend and an amazing woman.”

Navratilova battled cancer in 2010, with Novotna helping her go through treatment, an experience that made them friends. Novotna entered the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005 and stayed active in the sport, coaching players such as 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli and fellow Czech Barbora Krejcikova.

“Jana was an inspiration both on and off court to anyone who had the opportunity to know her.”