Jana Novotna died tragically young, but the memory of her comforted by Royalty is unforgettable
Jana Novotna spent much of her tragically shortened life travelling around the world, playing tennis tournaments and often winning them, exactly one hundred in all.
In her last few years, however, she returned close to her roots, just outside the southern Czech city of Brno, to a village called Omice in a house she lovingly refurbished.
Situated on the ridge of a hill, it initially seems an unremarkable place, with a handful of shops and a solitary bar. That is until you see the breathtaking views the place affords across the verdant Moravian countryside.
The Duchess of Kent breaks protocol to console Jana Novotna after Steffi Graf's final victory
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ShareNovotna lived here, enjoying the stunning vistas before she was sadly taken by cancer last November at the age of 49.
She did not survive to mark this year's 25th anniversary of her famous defeat by Steffi Graf in the Wimbledon final, nor the 20th year since she pulled off one of the great redemption acts at SW19, finally managing to win the title she cherished the most, at the third time of asking.
Few players are more fondly remembered, and that is partly connected to her being one half of what is among the most iconic images in Wimbledon history. It is a picture that resonated way beyond the All England Club.
In the aftermath of her agonising defeat to Graf, from leading 4-1 and 40-15 in the final set, she wept on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent, who famously offered the comforting words that one day she would triumph.
Novotna finally managed to win the title she cherished the most, at the third time of asking
Disregarding royal and Wimbledon protocols, this simple act of humanity between a Duchess and an athlete of relatively humble origins struck a chord around the world, and ensures a place for both in the tournament's folklore.
And five years later there was to be a happy ending for Novotna, to her Wimbledon story at least, when she beat France's Nathalie Tauziat to claim the Grand Slam singles title that seemed destined to elude her.
In May her achievements were honoured at a deeply moving ceremony held prior to the final of the women's Prague Open.
Before a packed stadium and amid many tears, Martina Navratilova presented her parents with a ring to commemorate their daughter's election to tennis's Hall of Fame.
As Graf herself agrees, it is important to remember that this recognition stems from the fact that Novtona was a winner, not a loser.
In a rare interview, the German legend recalled why she found her adversary that day such a difficult opponent.
Novotna collapses to the ground after claiming the Grand Slam singles title that eluded her
'Jana was dangerous was because she had great hands at the net, but she could play from the back as well,' Graf told Sportsmail. ' In that specific match she was coming in on everything. It's one of the few matches of my career I have looked back at one YouTube.
'She played incredibly well in the second set. I was always having to come up with a great passing shot to beat her at the net.
'As the third went on she was giving me some chances on her second serve, and I started coming into the net a lot more, much more than I usually would. That wasn't my style but I knew I had to do something, and it was possible to do it because her second serve went down.'
At the presentation ceremony Graf looked on from a few yards away as the tears fell on the Duchess's shoulder.
At the presentation ceremony, Graf looked on as the tears fell on the Duchess's shoulder
'Absolutely I felt sadness for her, partly because I knew her better than a lot of the other players. We had come up together and were almost the same age. She was a sweet kind of person and a very fair competitor, so it was impossible for me not to feel emotion for her.
'I remember standing there feeling that this was her moment and that was only right. I wanted her to have that moment and of course I didn't mind waiting for longer than usual to get the trophy.'
When Novotna won five years later, Graf set aside her own disappointment of losing in the third round in that tournament.
'I felt so happy for her. She deserved to win as she should have won against me, and probably the year before (1997) as well, so I felt great pleasure on her behalf.'
Their lives took very different directions thereafter, with the German settling in Las Vegas after she married Andre Agassi.
Graf won the gripping final 7-6 1-6 6-4 before the iconic moment during the awards ceremony
'I played an exhibition against her in Prague about seven years ago. She was still in good shape and she seemed happy. We weren't close after our careers ended because our paths did not cross much.
'We saw each other occasionally but never talked about that final at Wimbledon. When you see former players you don't talk about specific matches, perhaps more about the lives we lived then and the lives we live now.
'The intensity of how it used to be, how it was all a bit crazy, and how things become more normal afterwards.'
Looking on that day in 1993 was leading sports executive Phil de Picciotto, the American who managed Novotna's whole career, from her early days as a standout doubles player up until her untimely death.
He was a key witness to the events of 25 years ago, for he also happened to be the manager of Graf. For the championship match he had no choice but to remove himself from his normal place in the players' box and take up a neutral position alongside it.
After one of the most gripping post-war finals, which ended in a 7-6 1-6 6-4 scoreline, he was in the unusual situation of having to deftly congratulate one client and commiserate with the other.
Phil de Picciotto recalls the moment as 'one of the most humanising moments' in sport
He recalls the trophy presentations vividly:' It was one of the most humanising moments you could ever see in sport. There's a time and place for protocol and tradition, but sometimes it is overridden by something spontaneous that happens with no forethought.'
That evening he was one of two people to dine with Novotna, the other being her coach, Hana Mandlikova. The following night he was among those accompanying Graf to the very different occasion of the Champions' dinner.
'I spent time with Jana after the match, and as was typical of her she had a very small dinner with a small number of people, but she did feel it right for us to go out,' he recalls.
'It was in central London, and as always she was very balanced. I would like to think she was very proud of what she had accomplished but clearly it was tinged with the regret of the opportunity that had just slipped through her fingers.
But there was no doubt in my mind that evening that she remained passionate about winning Wimbledon, and was determined to put it right.
Novotna (R) jokingly holds the Wimbledon title after losing to Martina Hingis in the 1997 final
'Jana was one of those who would try to make the best of every moment, she loved life and loved tennis. She adapted to adversity in her life and never allowed it to affect her in ways that were debilitating.
'Within a few days she was back on court. She was a glass half full person. The loss affected her profoundly, but some people can let emotions distract them but that wasn't the case with her.'
Novotna remained around the top of the game, and in 1997 was back in the final, only to meet Martina Hingis, just as the career of the teenage Swiss genius was coming to the boil. The result was another agonising three set loss, 2-6 6-3 6-3.
But she kept going, and was to win the year-end tour championships at the end of that season. When Wimbledon 1998 came around she was the number three seed.
Her biggest challenge that year was the semi-final against defending champion Hingis in the semi-final, but Novotna was to play one of the matches of her life and win in straight sets.
Novotna played defending champion Hingis in the semi-finals of Wimbledon a year later
That put her in the reverse position of being heavily favoured to beat surprise finalist Tauziat, the 16th seed.
Holding her nerve this time, she took the first set 6-4 and then when it went to a tiebreak in the next set she got ahead early and clinched it 7-2.
This time the Duchess was able to congratulate the player she had consoled five years earlier. Her words from then - 'I know you will win it one day, don't worry,' - proved prophetic.
'I was confident she was handling it as well as anyone could,' recalled De Picciotto. ' It was in many ways a bigger moment than five years earlier. Every ball bounced the right way for her. I felt she had a chance every time at Wimbledon because she cherished the place, the more she played there the more comfortable she became.
'There was nothing excessive about the celebrations but there was a lot of joy and relief. At the Champions Dinner the following night she looked so at peace holding the Wimbledon plate.
'Everyone there felt that this was one of the really nice outcomes, everyone was in a very good mood. She had this way of sitting back in her chair and just beaming, that's what I remember most.'
She consoles Nathalie Tauziat (L) after coming out on top in the Wimbledon final in 1998
The victory seemed to sate the competitive fires in Novotna, and late the following year she retired, having just turned 31.
Thereafter she remained an active member of the tennis community. She coached several players, commentated for the BBC at Wimbledon and was also a regular playing in the senior invitational events at SW19.
At first she lived mostly in Florida, although had an apartment in Paris where, among other things, she acted as a support for Navratilova when she was treated for breast cancer.
In 2010 she decided to move back to her origins, just outside Brno, in the very different environment of Omice.
It was in 2016 that she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer but, ever private, kept the news within her inner circle.
She paid a low-key visit to the inaugural Laver Cup that took place in Prague, with one prominent member of the tennis community who bumped into her there recalling his immediate concern about her well-being.
The Duchess of Kent's words from 1993 - 'I know you will win it one day' - proved prophetic
'She always thought that with enough work she could influence an outcome,' reflects De Picciotto. 'Whether it was with a player she coached or her own health, she tended to be a optimistic person. She had that optimistic tinge but she was realistic.'
Novotna had all her treatment in the Czech Republic, and was living at her home with her parents at the end. There was profound shock and sadness around the tennis world when it was announced that she had died, aged 49, on November 19 last year.
After the Hall of Fame ceremony in May, her mother Libuse talked briefly to local outlet VIP Sport about her feelings twenty years ago when, seated on the Centre Court, she finally watched her daughter win Wimbledon.
'For a moment I didn't feel anything – I felt absolute calmness inside me, despite the people cheering all round me,' she said.' Everyone wished her to succeed and there was a sense of peace. We mostly reminiscence on this in silence.'
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