Jana Novotna

Former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna has died at the age of 49 after suffering from cancer, the WTA said yesterday. Novotna, who won the Wimbledon title in 1998 when she defeated France's Nathalie Tauziat in the final, died on Sunday in her native Czech Republic surrounded by her family. She played in two other Wimbledon singles finals, losing to Steffi Graf in 1993 and to Martina Hingis in 1997. The picture of a distraught Novotna being comforted by the Duchess of Kent after losing the 1993 final when she had led 4-1 in the final set is one of the memorable Wimbledon moments.