Jana Novotná
A Wimbledon champion whose graceful serve-and-volley artistry was matched only by her public display of perseverance after heartbreaking defeat.
1968–2017 (age 49)·Czech tennis player·Birthday: October 2·Generation X
Biography
Jana Novotná played tennis with a throwback elegance, her serve-and-volley style a stark contrast to the baseline power that dominated the women's game. The Czech player possessed sublime touch, a wicked slice, and a net-rushing bravery that made her matches a spectacle. For years, she was the nearly-woman of tennis, most famously losing a heart-wrenching final to Steffi Graf at Wimbledon in 1993, where she wept on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent. That moment of raw vulnerability endeared her to fans worldwide, but it was her refusal to surrender that defined her. She finally captured her elusive Wimbledon singles title in 1998, a triumph of sheer will. A doubles virtuoso, she held the world No. 1 ranking and won numerous major titles, cementing a legacy as one of the most complete and technically gifted players of her generation.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Jana was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jana Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Jana's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2017Died at 49
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- She won the Wimbledon ladies' singles championship in 1998, defeating Nathalie Tauziat in the final.
- She achieved a career Grand Slam in women's doubles, winning all four major titles at least once.
- She held the world No. 1 ranking in women's doubles for 67 weeks and won 12 major doubles titles.
- She won a silver medal in singles and a bronze in doubles at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
- She was ranked world No. 2 in singles in 1997 and won 24 WTA Tour singles titles.
Did You Know?
After her 1993 Wimbledon loss, the Duchess of Kent famously told her, 'I know you will win it one day.'
She was known for her exceptional athleticism and often practiced with male players to improve her net game.
She won the WTA Tour Championships singles title in 1997.
She worked as a tennis commentator for the BBC after retiring from professional play.
“You have to lose a Wimbledon final to really win it.”
