Former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna has died at the age of 49 after suffering from cancer, the Women’s Tennis Association said on Monday.
Novotna, who won the Wimbledon title in 1998 when she defeated France’s Nathalie Tauziat in the final, died in her native Czech Republic surrounded by her family, a WTA statement said.
Novotna won 17 Grand Slam titles in her career only one of which was in singles. She reached the Wimbledon singles final three times, losing to Steffi Graf in 1993 and Martina Hingis in 1997.
She won 12 Grand Slam titles in doubles and four in mixed doubles. She was also a three-time Olympic medalist and a member of the Czech Republic’s victorious Fed Cup title-winning team in 1988. Novotna also won 24 WTA singles and 76 doubles titles in 14 years on the professional circuit.
With inputs from AFP