Steffi Graf once shed light on her discomfort during the presentation ceremony at the 1993 Wimbledon Championships, despite her victory. The German’s unease stemmed from runner-up Jana Novotna’s palpable grief at losing the final.
Graf entered the 1993 edition of the grass court Major as the top seed and two-time defending champion, widely regarded as the clear favorite to clinch her third consecutive title. The German lived up to expectations, beating the likes of Meredith McGrath, Jennifer Capriati and Conchita Martinez to reach the final without dropping a set.
However, Steffi Graf faced a tough test in the blockbuster title clash against ninth seed Jana Novotna, who had ousted second seed Martina Navratilova in the semifinals. Graf narrowly edged past Novotna in the opening set, but the Czech dominated the second set to force a decider.
Novotna seemed destined for victory as she took a 4-1 lead in the third set. However, the German held her nerve and won five games in a row to claim a 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-4 victory, clinching her fifth Wimbledon title.
Jana Novotna, visibly devastated over losing from a winning position, broke down in tears during the trophy presentation and was consoled by the Duchess of Kent.
Reflecting on the final in a 2009 interview with the Daily Mail, Steffi Graf admitted that she felt “very uncomfortable” during the presentation ceremony because she found it difficult to witness Novotna’s tears.
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