Jana Novotna died ‘peacefully’ on Monday at the age of 49 after losing a long battle with cancer.

Known for her brilliant, athletic game, Novotna won 24 WTA singles titles in 14 years on the professional women’s circuit, along with 76 doubles titles.

Having reached the Wimbledon singles final twice previously, she famously defeated Frenchwoman Nathalie Tauziat to win the title in 1998.

In the 1993 final, Novotna had led 4-1 in the third and final set against Steffi Graf before collapsing to a devastating defeat. She lost again in the 1997 final to Martina Hingis, before finally getting her hands on the trophy the following year.

Altogether she won 17 Grand Slam titles, including 12 in doubles and four in mixed doubles. She was a three-time Olympic medallist and a member of her country’s victorious Fed Cup championship team in 1988.