"I just wanted to play tennis. I started because I wanted to pick up another sport and then as I was slowly getting better I wanted to see how far I can go but I always wanted to be myself. I wanted to be original. I didn't want to copy anybody's style"
About this Quote
A career can begin with simple curiosity and still grow into elite ambition without losing its center. Jana Novotna describes a progression from play to mastery that keeps joy and selfhood intact. She did not set out to fit a blueprint. She wanted to see how far she could go while refusing to mimic someone else. That insistence on originality shaped both her game and her story.
On court she embodied a style that was already becoming rare in the 1990s: athletic, creative, and hungry to move forward. While many rivals built their points from the back of the court, she trusted touch, angles, and net play. Serve-and-volley requires nerve because it invites failure in the open, one bold step after another. Choosing that path reflects the same inner alignment she describes: progress measured not by imitation, but by expanding the limits of what felt true to her.
Her career arc amplifies the point. The famous heartbreak at Wimbledon in 1993, the tears on the Duchess of Kent’s shoulder, and the long climb back to win the title in 1998 are not just plot points. They show how authenticity can endure pressure, doubt, and public scrutiny. The temptation after a painful loss is to copy what looks safer. She did the opposite. She kept refining her own way, and it eventually carried her to the trophy and to a legacy enriched by multiple doubles triumphs, where her instincts at the net flourished.
The words also challenge a culture of early specialization and rigid coaching trees. Creativity is not a luxury; it is a competitive edge. Starting for love, growing through curiosity, and protecting individuality, Novotna models a path where success is an outcome, not the motive. The game becomes an expression of character. The results that follow are brighter because they belong to you.
On court she embodied a style that was already becoming rare in the 1990s: athletic, creative, and hungry to move forward. While many rivals built their points from the back of the court, she trusted touch, angles, and net play. Serve-and-volley requires nerve because it invites failure in the open, one bold step after another. Choosing that path reflects the same inner alignment she describes: progress measured not by imitation, but by expanding the limits of what felt true to her.
Her career arc amplifies the point. The famous heartbreak at Wimbledon in 1993, the tears on the Duchess of Kent’s shoulder, and the long climb back to win the title in 1998 are not just plot points. They show how authenticity can endure pressure, doubt, and public scrutiny. The temptation after a painful loss is to copy what looks safer. She did the opposite. She kept refining her own way, and it eventually carried her to the trophy and to a legacy enriched by multiple doubles triumphs, where her instincts at the net flourished.
The words also challenge a culture of early specialization and rigid coaching trees. Creativity is not a luxury; it is a competitive edge. Starting for love, growing through curiosity, and protecting individuality, Novotna models a path where success is an outcome, not the motive. The game becomes an expression of character. The results that follow are brighter because they belong to you.
Quote Details
| Topic | Training & Practice |
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