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Saying goodbye again - Page 3

© Michael Cecilio

And another berth in a Wimbledon final. Jana had given up on fate, previously requesting that her mother not sit in the stands in her past finals appearances for fear of losing, she relinquished that request and invited her to the stands in 1998. After all, what more could be done differently to erase the painful memories of yesteryear? She was to play perhaps one of the best serve and volley exports the WTA tour had seen since Novotna herself in 16th seed Nathalie Tauziat. It was a match which saw a number of error-ridden volleys and errant serving, but Jana Novotna managed to beat her opponent at her own game in the first set. The second set was much trickier. Ready to serve for the title at 6-4 5-4, Novotna looked like the image of herself in Wimbledon 1993 as she began to shank serves even over her opponent's baseline. Novotna lost her nerve, and spectators could not help but wonder whether it was third time unlucky again for the affable Czech. Down 5-6 in the second set, Novotna dug deep and got into a tiebreaker, which she dominated. With five match points, Novotna could not possibly lose...

And it will be something that no one can ever take away from her. Despite all of her near-misses and her weak nerves, she will always be a Wimbledon champion. Maybe she should have won four or five more Wimbledon titles. Maybe she could have cemented herself as the greatest exponent on the grasscourts in all of history. Maybe she could have also cemented herself as one of the greatest players of all time. A number of injustices had plagued Jana throughout her career and hindered her from finding even greater success, most of which were internal although unavoidable. Nevertheless, she will have no regrets as she walks off the tennis courts for good as she has fulfilled her lifelong ambition - to win a Wimbledon title.

Jana played what was most likely the last match of her career in Filderstadt when she lost in the first round to 26th ranked Silvia Farina. Citing a loss of form which had plagued her since the unfortunate injury she incurred at the French Open, Jana was not content with losing early in tournaments to players she used to rout. With the knowledge that her body was feeling the brunt of the 12 hard years on the pro circuit, it was always going to be tough to ask Jana to come back into Top 5 form after a serious injury and a long layoff like she has experienced this season. However, she has not closed off all possibilities yet. Given that she qualifies for the 16-player field at the Chase Championships in New York at the end of the year, Jana will end her career in what would be a fitting conclusion to a great career. She would enter the tournament as a former champion of that event (winning in 1997), an event which confirmed for the world, and for Jana herself, that she was a true champion of the highest calibre.

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