Wimbledon “won’t be the same” after the passing of previous champion Jana Novotna, says the Duchess of Kent.
The Duchess gave a source of genuine sympathy when the Czech player lost in the Wimbledon last in 1993, preceding giving her the trophy in 1998.
“She was so utterly sweet and charming off the court, everybody loved her she was such a lovely person and also in terms of her tennis she was such a beautiful player,” she told BBC Radio 5 live.
Wade said: “She had all the talents in the world, boy, was she talented, but she was a little bit self-effacing so it took her a while to put it all together and make it work but her talent was good enough, definitely, without any question to win more Grand Slams.
“She was a terrific person, she really was. She had a sort of quiet competitiveness. She was steely on the inside but she was always such a good sportsman and always polite. I know that emotional outburst with the Duchess of Kent, nobody will ever forget that.”
“She was very, very athletic. She had a really aggressive game style, she had a lot of variety, she served and volleyed, she slice backhand, she made life very difficult but it was a game that took a long time to develop which I think is why everyone was so utterly thrilled for her when she finally realised those dreams of winning Wimbledon.”
“I think because she was so ruthless on the court and so competitive and so driven that I think that moment on Centre Court when she did break down in tears, you saw this really vulnerable side to her and somebody who was just so utterly crushed and devastated at coming so close to winning”.
Novotna caught the country’s hearts when she burst into tears following annihilation to Steffi Graf.
In a tribute, the Duchess depicted her as “an overcome, brave, sweet woman with a magnificent comical inclination.””I am very saddened by the news of her death and all my feelings are with her family,” she added in a statement.
