Former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna, one of the world's top female players in the 1990s, died Sunday, the WTA announced.
She was 49.
A statement from the WTA said Novotna, who had cancer, passed away peacefully Sunday surrounded by her family.
Countrywoman Martina Navratilova was among the former players offering their condolences, calling Novotna "a true friend and an amazing woman."
Chris Evert described Novotna as "a woman with integrity and honor."
Novotna famously won her first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon in 1998, her win over Nathalie Tauziat a particularly popular one given the emotional scenes that had followed the Czech's loss to Steffi Graf in the 1993 final.
Novotna led 4-1 in the deciding set against Graf but lost the match. In an iconic moment, she was then comforted by the Duchess of Kent after bursting into tears during the presentation ceremony.
Five years after from that painful defeat, and 12 months after finishing as the runner-up to Martina Hingis, Novotna's smile lit up Center Court following her victory over Tauziat. In addition to that memorable triumph, she also won 12 Grand Slam women's doubles titles and four more in the mixed doubles.
WTA CEO Steve Simon said: "Jana was an inspiration both on and off court to anyone who had the opportunity to know her.
"Her star will always shine brightly in the history of the WTA. Our condolences and our thoughts are with Jana's family."
A former women's doubles world No. 1, Novotna achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 2 in the world.
She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005, having won 100 career titles, 24 of them in singles events.
