A rich legacy of memories
Anniversaries are a significant part of any sport – and they don’t come much more poignant than two of those that will be remembered at the All England Club this Fortnight.
It is 25 years since Jana Novotna suffered one of the most heart-breaking losses seen in recent decades on Centre Court, and 20 years after she gave her quality as a player the defining stamp by managing to finally lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.
This would be cause enough to pause for thought at the onrushing passage of time. Of course, it’s all added to by the enormous sadness attached to the fact that this will be a tournament that will keenly feel the absence of such a popular champion.
Last November, the stylish Czech lost her battle with cancer at the age of 49. It was a source of widespread grief in the tennis community, but especially so for those in this corner of London.
She had beautiful hands and feel of the type that you simply can’t coach
While Wimbledon was far from the only place where Novotna excelled in her outstanding career, it is the place with which she was most synonymous. That was always going to be the case from the moment pictures flashed around the world of her weeping on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent after her defeat to Steffi Graf in the 1993 final, among the most iconic images ever associated with The Championships.
Yet, it is important that the two big anniversaries of her time at Wimbledon are taken together, because only that can properly relate the full story of how one individual recovered from immense disappointment to emerge, finally, a champion five years later.
Also important is that the scale of her whole career achievements is acknowledged, which included 12 Grand Slam doubles titles (four at Wimbledon), four mixed doubles titles, three Olympic medals and the world No.1 position in doubles held, unbroken, for more than a year.
We come back to 1993, some two and a half years after she had announced herself as a serious title contender by making the 1991 Australian Open singles final.
Away from the court she was friendly and softly-spoken with a good sense of humour, a very nice person
Novotna loved the grass, well-suited to her deft backhand slice, sublime volleying skills, low centre of gravity and speed. Twenty-five years ago she beat Monica Seles and Martina Navratilova en route to the final where, in a deciding set, she looked on course for the title at 4-1 and serving, with a point for 5-1.
Then came a double fault, which was to prompt a swift collapse against the great German, who was to win 6-4 against a devastated opponent. At the ensuing presentation ceremony the Duchess, literally offering a shoulder to cry on, whispered “I know you will win it one day, don’t worry.”
You didn’t need to be a diehard tennis fan to be touched by such basic human kindness. Hers turned out to be a story of universal appeal as happily those sympathetic words turned out to be prophetic.
Later in life the player herself, who had been prone to nerves at big moments, reflected on that day and of how it laid the ground for her eventual triumph.
"It wouldn't sound great to say the 1993 final was the one I was most proud of because I lost the match when I was ahead,” said Jana. "But it meant so much for me and maybe it made me a better player, a better person and maybe that match helped me to accomplish a lot more in my career.
it meant so much for me and maybe it made me a better player, a better person and maybe that match helped me to accomplish a lot more in my career
"If I could do it again I would – all of it – except I would win Wimbledon three times this time around."
She mentioned three times because there was to be another narrow miss when, as an increasingly rounded player and competitor, she lost in the 1997 final. That was another that went the distance, with Novotna unable to hold on to a one-set lead against Martina Hingis, who was motoring into the phase when she became the dominant player in the game.
A year later, she was back in the final again after gaining a degree of revenge against Hingis in the semi-finals. On this third occasion she was starting the Championship match as favourite, against France’s Nathalie Tauziat.
Approaching her 30th birthday – considered a more significant landmark in those days – she withstood the different pressure that brings and won 6-4, 7-6, holding her nerve to take the tiebreak 7-2. It was a very different situation from five years previously as she met the Duchess again, this time to receive the trophy.
If I could do it again I would – all of it – except I would win Wimbledon three times this time around
As Novotna was later to recall, this time the Duchess was to reassure her that she never doubted her: “She said ‘I told you that if you make it to the finals it will be third time lucky’”.
Ambition achieved, the player soon found her appetite for competition sated, and retired at the end of 1999, reaching the last eight of Wimbledon again that year. She remained a regular visitor to these parts until the middle of this decade, both serving as a BBC commentator and playing in the Invitation doubles.
Her fluent, attacking style and desire to move forward is seen less these days in an ever-evolving sport. “She had such quick hands at the net and her movement was so sharp she could rush you into making mistakes, she was everywhere,” recalled a former adversary, former British No.1, Jo Durie. “She had beautiful hands and feel of the type that you simply can’t coach. While she was a fierce competitor there was also a slight fragility about her.
“Away from the court she was friendly and softly-spoken with a good sense of humour, a very nice person.”
A private one, too, and it came as a severe shock to many when her tragic passing was announced in November last year.
For the many who closely followed her quest to win Wimbledon there are a host of memories left behind. The open smile and beautiful racket skills, and the happy ending to her title pursuit, will be among those that live on long in Wimbledon folklore.
This article originally appeared in the Official Championships Programme