Sad to hear of the death of Jana Novotna at age 49. I distinctly remember her crushing loss to Steffi Graf in the 1993 final, one of the most memorable losses in the history of the tournament. And it was never clear if she would win it, because she was a grass court serve-and-volley specialist near the end of the era of that kind of player. But she persisted, persevered, whatever -- and indeed did win it. Despite all the doubles titles -- and she was really good at doubles -- winning Wimbledon once in singles, her only singles Grand Slam, and the only Grand Slam tournament that suited her grass court skills -- capped her career.
I couldn't say it better than this Washington Post perspective, so I won't try.
Jana Novotna faced her humanity, and triumphed
"And of course, her losses had magnified her win, in that odd capability of all losses. She had become both a one-time Grand Slam champion and unforgettable. The perseverance, the overcoming, all the things that make competition so compelling, all filled Centre Court."I won't give away the ending. Read it.
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