Remembering Jana Novotna...and the only truly royal ROYAL

It's beyond sad when an ATHLETE dies young. Or middle-aged, which would be 49.

Jana Novotna is probably not a name known to the average person. They know her rivals, who were just a bit better and tended to win the championships...Martina Navratilova, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Steffi Graf. Everyone's heard of those ladies. Jana may have gotten to the semi-finals, or even finals, but she rarely won. She reached the finals of the Australian Open once. She never got that far at the French or the U.S. Open.

Her run at Wimbledon in 1993 seemed like the dream come true. In the final set, she had a commanding lead, 4-1. For those who don't know tennis, she was TWO MATCHES AWAY from the trophy. Instead, Steffi Graff won FIVE straight games and took the crown.

Poor Jana. Athletes are supposed to retain their composure. They are supposed to be "good sports." She was supposed to be happy with being runner-up.

I have no idea what the Duchess of Kent said, but it comforted Jana greatly.

The Duchess of Kent was the regular royal presence at Wimbledon. Stately, elegant, cool, calm, she was a true devotee of tennis. The self-described "Yorkshire lass" Katharine Worsley was the first "untitled" woman to marry into the Royal Family in a century. While her husband the Duke wore typically outlandish uniforms in garish red and gold, she always wore very simple dresses. It was her simplicity, enthusiasm and empathy that allowed Jana to feel she could literally cry on this Royal's shoulder. And she was comforted.

It is a grim day, being reminded that scum like Manson, a giddy, psycho-celeb getting interview requests and pulling faces at the camera, lived to 83, and a great athlete fell to cancer at 49. It's also a bit sad that Novotna, is more remembered for crying in defeat than avenging her Wimbledon loss with her ONE Finals victory five years later, age 29, against Nathalie Tauziat.

Martina Navratilova said today, "The tennis world is so sad about the passing of Jana Novotna...I am gutted and beyond words- Jana was a true friend and an amazing woman..."

And so is the Duchess of Kent, who is 84. She first handed out the Wimbledon trophy in 1969, and retired from that honor in 1991. It's not fully known if her struggle with celiac disease, or a flare of the chronic fatigue disease Epstein-Barre was a factor. In 1994, she became a humble teacher in Hull, and dropped royal pretenses. Most of her students had no idea she was once "royalty," as she was merely "Mrs. Kent" to them. She did make an appearance at Wimbledon this past year:

Jana Novotna, and the Duchess of Kent will always be remembered together in the history of tennis. The Duchess of Kent also has a legacy outside of tennis, as someone whose humility, poise and sincerity, touched the lives of thousands.