1998 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles 1998 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles Martina Hingis was the defending champion but lost in the semifinals to Jana Novotná, in a rematch of the previous year's final. Novotná defeated Nathalie Tauziat in the final, 6–4, 7–6 to win the Ladies' Singles tennis title at the 1998 Wimbledon Championships. This was Novotná's first win in a Wimbledon final on her third attempt. This would be the last time a Czech player would win Wimbledon (or win a Grand Slam title) until Petra Kvitová won in 2011. The 1998 final was the first time in the Open Era since the 1980
2011 Wimbledon Championships anniversary, the BBC broadcast a documentary the night before the start of the tournament (19 June 2011), called "125 years of Wimbledon: You Cannot Be Serious", looking back at memorable moments. In the United States, the championship matches aired on NBC for the 43rd and final year. The network issued a statement saying it had been outbid for the rights to future broadcasts. Cable sports channel ESPN, which had already been sharing Wimbledon coverage with NBC, became the exclusive American broadcaster of the tournament for a 12-year period, beginning in 2012. Under the agreement, all matches were to air live,