When the tournament in Linz began to develop international appeal, she was already an absolute superstar: Jana Novotná helped shape an entire era with her courageous and elegant serve-and-volley game. The Czech reached the final of the Australian Open for the first time in 1991 and two years later reached the final of Wimbledon, where Novotná, who was known for her strong nerves, lost in the third set despite leading 4:1. In 1997, she lost again, this time to Switzerland's Martina Hingis, despite taking the first set. One year later, however, she managed to crown her career at the All England Club and became one of the oldest players to win Wimbledon for the first time at the age of 29 in the final against Nathalie Tauziat.