Olga Morozova

Olga Morozova
Country (sports) Soviet Union
ResidenceMarlow, England, United Kingdom[1]
Born (1949-02-22) 22 February 1949
Moscow, Soviet Union
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Turned pro1965 (ILTF World Circuit)
Retired1977 and 1989
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize moneyn/a
Singles
Career record354–133
Career titles42 (WTA/ITF)
Highest rankingNo. 3 (US Open 1974)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQF (1972, 1975)
French OpenF (1974)
WimbledonF (1974)
US OpenQF (1972)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals5th place (1975)
Doubles
Career record0–0
Career titles16 WTA, 26 ITF
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenF (1975)
French OpenW (1974)
WimbledonSF (1974)
US OpenF (1976)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Openn/a
French OpenSF (1974)
WimbledonF (1968, 1970)
US OpenSF (1976)
Medal record
Representing Soviet Union
Tennis
Summer Universiade
1973 Moscow Women's Singles
1973 Moscow Women's Doubles
1973 Moscow Mixed Doubles

Olga Vasilyevna Morozova (Russian: Ольга Васильевна Морозова, IPA: [ˈolʲɡə mɐˈrozəvə] ; born 22 February 1949) is a Russian former professional tennis player. Competing for the Soviet Union, she was the runner-up in women's singles at the 1974 French Open and 1974 Wimbledon Championships, and the first Soviet player to win a major, in women's doubles at the 1974 French Open. Her ground-breaking playing career, combined with her distinguished coaching career, has led to Morozova being labelled the "Godmother of Russian tennis".

Career

Morozova started playing tennis at the age of 10, with Nina Teplyakova as her first and career-long coach. By 16, Morozova had improved so quickly that she was invited to represent the USSR at Wimbledon in the girls singles.

Travelling internationally for the first time and playing on grass for the first time, Morozova won the 1965 Wimbledon Junior Girls' singles title.

Morozova would go on to become the first Soviet tennis player, male or female, to reach the singles final of any major tournament when she was the runner-up at the 1972 Italian Open. However, the peak of Morozova's career came during the summer of 1974 when she was the women's singles runner-up at both Wimbledon and the French Open, losing to Chris Evert on both occasions. At Wimbledon she shocked the defending champion Billie Jean King in straight sets in the quarters, and then came back from a set down against Virginia Wade to win the semi-final 6–4 in the third. She rose to No. 3 in the world going into the US Open that year – the highest ranking she achieved in her career.

Morozova became the first Soviet tennis player, male or female, to win a Grand Slam title when she teamed with Evert to win the women's doubles championship at the French Open in 1974. She was the first Soviet player to lead her team to the Federation Cup semifinals in 1978 (and again in 1979). She and Alex Metreveli were the first USSR players to reach a Grand Slam final when they teamed at Wimbledon in 1968, losing to Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher. In addition to winning the French Open doubles in 1974, Morozova was the runner-up at the 1975 Australian Open (teaming with Margaret Court), the 1975 French Open (teaming with Julie Anthony) and the 1976 US Open (teaming with Virginia Wade).

Morozova's playing career was cut short in 1977 because of the USSR's policy against allowing their athletes to compete with South Africans. At this point, she retired early from the professional tour. Morozova then began a coaching career. She became head coach of the Soviet Union ladies squad through the 1980s leading the Soviets to their first appearance in a Federation Cup Final (1988, losing to Czechoslovakia). Morozova also helped pioneer the creation of the Kremlin Cup.

In 1990, the LTA hired Morozova as head of girls tennis, based at the national performance centre in Bisham Abbey, UK. Morozova became a fixture in UK tennis for much of the 1990s. In December 1996, in a Russian interview, she noted a key difference in the approach to sport between the UK and Russia: "For them [the English], participation is considered more important than winning. They fancy Coubertin a lot. For us, Russians, it is still important to win".[2] Andy Murray has subsequently mentioned that she coached him when he was "12, 13 years old".[3]

In 2003, Morozova began working individually with notable players, including amongst others Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Sergiy Stakhovsky, Laura Robson and more recently Harriet Dart. Morozova has been widely credited as one of the few female coaches to work at the very highest levels of the tour.[4]

In 1998, she was awarded the Sarah Palfrey Danzig Trophy for character, sportsmanship, manners, spirit of cooperation, and contribution to the growth of the game as well as the help she rendered to professional players and junior players.[5]

In 2000, the Russian Tennis Federation awarded Morozova the honour of Russian Tennis Player of the Twentieth Century.[6]

Morozova's husband is Viktor Roubanov (1971 champion of Moscow in singles), and he also was one of the first coaches of Anna Kournikova. He also coached Shirli-Ann Siddall during her first breakthrough — winning a match in the Wimbledon main draw — period.[7][8][9]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 2 (2 runner-ups)

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1974 French Open Clay Chris Evert 6–1, 6–2
Loss 1974 Wimbledon Grass Chris Evert 6–0, 6–4

Doubles: 4 (1 title, 3 runner-ups)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1974 French Open Clay Chris Evert Gail Chanfreau
Katja Ebbinghaus
6–4, 2–6, 6–1
Loss 1975 Australian Open Grass Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong
Peggy Michel
7–6, 7–6
Loss 1975 French Open Clay Julie Anthony Chris Evert
Martina Navratilova
6–3, 6–2
Loss 1976 US Open Clay Virginia Wade Linky Boshoff
Ilana Kloss
6–1, 6–4

Mixed doubles: 2 (2 runner-ups)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1968 Wimbledon Grass Alex Metreveli Margaret Court
Ken Fletcher
6–1, 14–12
Loss 1970 Wimbledon Grass Alex Metreveli Rosemary Casals
Ilie Năstase
6–3, 4–6, 9–7

WTA career finals

Singles: 16 (8 titles, 8 runner-ups)

Result W/L Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Jan 1971 Sydney, Australia Hard Margaret Court 2–6, 2–6
Win 1–1 Feb 1971 Moscow, Soviet Union Carpet (i) Maria Kull 6–1, 7–5
Win 2–1 Apr 1971 Buenos Aires, Argentina Clay Anna-Maria Nasuelli 6–0, 6–3
Loss 2–2 Jan 1972 Adelaide, Australia Hard Evonne Goolagong 6–7(4–7), 3–6
Loss 2–3 Jan 1972 Perth, Australia Hard Evonne Goolagong 2–6, 5–7
Loss 2–4 Apr 1972 Rome, Italy Clay Linda Tuero 4–6, 3–6
Win 3–4 Aug 1972 New Jersey, United States Grass Marina Kroschina 6–2, 6–7, 7–5
Loss 3–5 Mar 1973 Akron, United States Hard Chris Evert 3–6, 4–6
Win 4–5 Jun 1973 London, United Kingdom Grass Evonne Goolagong 6–2, 6–3
Win 5–5 Apr 1974 Philadelphia, United States Hard (i) Billie Jean King 7–6, 6–1
Loss 5–6 Jun 1974 French Open Clay Chris Evert 1–6, 2–6
Loss 5–7 Jul 1974 Wimbledon Grass Chris Evert 0–6, 4–6
Win 6–7 Dec 1974 Adelaide, Australia Grass Evonne Goolagong 7–6, 2–6, 6–2
Loss 6–8 Dec 1974 Perth, Australia Hard Margaret Court 4–6, 5–7
Win 7–8 Jan 1975 Moscow, Soviet Union Carpet (i) Yelena Granaturova 6–0, 1–6, 6–4
Win 8–8 Jun 1976 Beckenham, United Kingdom Grass Marise Kruger 7–5, 2–6, 6–3

Doubles: 27 (16 titles, 11 runner-ups)

Result No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponent Score
Win 1. Jan 1971 Sydney, Australia Hard Margaret Court Helen Gourlay
Kerry Harris
6–2, 6–0
Loss 2. Feb 1971 Moscow, Soviet Union Carpet (i) Yelena Granaturova Eugenia Birioukova
Marina Kroschina
6–7, 7–5, 5–7
Win 3. Apr 1971 Buenos Aires, Argentina Clay Betty Stöve Beatriz Araujo
Ines Roget
7–5, 6–1
Loss 4. Jun 1971 Beckenham, United Kingdom Grass Zaiga Jansone Christine Truman
Nell Truman
3–6, 7–9
Win 5. Jan 1972 Adelaide, Australia Hard Evonne Goolagong Marilyn Tesch
Kerry Hogarth
6–3, 6–0
Loss 6. Jan 1972 Perth, Australia Hard Janet Young Evonne Goolagong
Barbara Hawcroft
3–6, 0–6
Win 7. Apr 1972 Rome, Italy Clay Lesley Hunt Gail Chanfreau
Rosalba Vido
6–3, 6–4
Win 8. Aug 1972 New Jersey, United States Grass Marina Kroschina Carole Caldwell
Patti Hogan
6–7, 6–2, 6–2
Win 9. Mar 1973 Hingham, United States Hard Marina Kroschina Evonne Goolagong
Janet Young
6–2, 6–4
Win 10. Jun 1973 Rome, Italy Clay Virginia Wade Martina Navratilova
Renáta Tomanová
3–6, 6–2, 7–5
Win 11. Jun 1973 Beckenham, United Kingdom Clay Marina Kroschina Jackie Fayter
Peggy Michel
8–6, 6–3
Loss 12. Mar 1974 Akron, United States Hard Julie Heldman Rosie Casals
Billie Jean King
2–6, 4–6
Win 13. Apr 1974 St. Petersburg, United States Hard Betty Stöve Chris Evert
Evonne Goolagong
6–4, 6–2
Win 14. Apr 1974 Hilton Head, United States Hard Rosie Casals Karen Krantzcke
Helen Gourlay
6–2, 6–1
Win 15. May 1974 Rome, Italy Clay Chris Evert Helga Masthoff
Heide Orth
w/o
Win 16. Jun 1974 French Open Clay Chris Evert Gail Chanfreau
Katja Ebbinghaus
6–4, 2–6, 6–1
Win 17. Dec 1974 Perth, Australia Hard Martina Navratilova Lesley Hunt
Kazuko Sawamatsu
6–1, 6–3
Loss 18. Dec 1974 Sudney, Australia Hard Martina Navratilova Evonne Goolagong
Peggy Michel
7–6, 4–6, 1–6
Loss 19. Jan 1975 Australian Open Grass Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong
Peggy Michel
6–7, 6–7
Loss 20. Feb 1975 Chicago, United States Hard Margaret Court Chris Evert
Martina Navratilova
2–6, 5–7
Loss 21. Apr 1975 Amelia Island, United States Hard Rosie Casals Evonne Goolagong
Virginia Wade
6–4, 4–6, 2–6
Loss 22. Jun 1975 French Open Clay Julie Anthony Chris Evert
Martina Navratilova
3–6, 2–6
Win 23. Jun 1975 Eastbourne, United Kingdom Gras Julie Anthony Evonne Goolagong
Peggy Michel
6–2, 6–4
Win 24. Jan 1976 Washington, United States Hard Virginia Wade Wendy Overton
Mona Schallau
7–6, 6–2
Win 25. Jan 1976 Chicago, United States Hard Virginia Wade Evonne Goolagong
Martina Navratilova
6–7(4–5), 6–4, 6–4
Loss 26. Sep 1976 US Open Clay Virginia Wade Linky Boshoff
Ilana Kloss
1–6, 4–6
Loss 27. Jun 1977 Beckenham, United Kingdom Grass Natasha Chmyreva Brigitte Cuypers
Annette du Plooy
7–9, 4–6

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 30 (25–5)

Result No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1. January 1967 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Anna Dmitrieva 9–7, 8–6
Win 2. September 1967 Tbilisi, Soviet Union Hard (i) Anna Dmitrieva 7–5, 4–6, 6–1
Win 3. January 1968 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Anna Dmitrieva 7–9, 6–1, 10–8
Win 4. August 1968 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard Marina Chuvirina 6–1, 6–3
Win 5. February 1969 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Betty Stöve 6–2, 6–2
Loss 6. March 1969 Cairo, Egypt Clay Lea Pericoli 1–6, 2–6
Loss 7. March 1969 Alexandria, Egypt Clay Nell Truman 3–6, 6–2, 3–6
Win 8. January 1970 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Marina Chuvirina 6–3, 6–2
Win 9. February 1970 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Anna Yeremeyeva 6–4, 6–2
Loss 10. February 1970 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Helga Niessen 5–7, 6–2, 3–6
Win 11. March 1970 Cairo, Egypt Clay Lea Pericoli 6–3, 3–6, 9–7
Win 12. March 1970 Cairo, Egypt Clay Marcela Barochová 6–4, 6–0
Loss 13. June 1970 Beckenham, United Kingdom Grass Patti Hogan 1–6, 3–6
Win 14. August 1970 Moscow, Soviet Union Clay Tiiu Kivi 6–4, 6–4
Win 15. December 1970 Adelaide, Australia Hard Kristien Shaw-Kemmer 6–4, 4–6, 9–7
Win 16. March 1971 Cairo, Egypt Clay Lea Pericoli 7–5, 6–0
Win 17. January 1972 Hobart, Australia Grass Mona Schallau 6–3, 6–3
Win 18. January 1972 Perth, Australia Grass Janet Young 6–4, 6–2
Win 19. April 1972 Tashkent, Soviet Union Hard Eugenia Birioukova 6–2, 6–0
Win 20. June 1972 Beckenham, United Kingdom Grass Jill Cooper 6–4, 6–1
Win 21. August 1972 Tallinn, Estonia Clay Zaiga Jansone 6–1, 6–0
Loss 22. August 1972 Bucarest, Romania Clay Marina Kroschina 6–4, 2–6, 5–7
Win 23. August 1972 Moscow, Soviet Union Clay Marina Kroschina 8–6, 6–2
Win 24. February 1973 Baku, Soviet Union Hard (i) Marina Kroschina 6–1, 6–2
Win 25. March 1973 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Galina Baksheeva 6–2, 6–3
Win 26. August 1973 Pescara, Italy Clay Éva Szabó 6–0, 1–6, 9–7
Win 27. February 1974 Salavat, Soviet Union Hard (i) Yelena Granaturova 6–4, 4–6, 6–2
Win 28. February 1974 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Marina Kroschina 6–3, 6–1
Win 29. August 1975 Tallinn, Estonia Clay Marina Kroschina 2–6, 7–6, 6–0
Win 30. August 1979 Sopot, Poland Clay Hana Mandlíková 4–6, 7–6, 6–3

Doubles: 37 (27–10)

Result No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1. February 1967 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Tatiana Chalko Galina Baksheeva
Anna Dmitrieva
2–6, 1–6
Loss 2. March 1967 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Tatiana Chalko Galina Baksheeva
Anna Dmitrieva
3–6, 1–6
Loss 3. February 1968 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Rauza Islanova Galina Baksheeva
Anna Dmitrieva
2–6, 5–7
Win 4. July 1968 Båstad, Sweden Hard Eva Lundqvist Kathy Harter
Julie Heldman
6–2, 6–3
Win 5. August 1968 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard Marina Chuvirina Kerry Harris
Lesley Hunt
6–0, 6–4
Win 6. February 1969 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Zaiga Jansone Tiiu Kivi
Maria Kull
6–4, 8–6
Win 7. August 1969 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard Zaiga Jansone Galina Baksheeva
Marina Chuvirina
6–3, 6–2
Win 8. September 1969 Turin, Italy Hard Zaiga Jansone Marina Chuvirina
Tiiu Kivi
6–1, 4–6, 6–3
Win 9. January 1970 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Zaiga Jansone Rauza Islanova
Eugenia Isopaitis
6–2, 6–2
Win 10. February 1970 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Zaiga Jansone Tiiu Kivi
Maria Kull
6–3, 6–4
Loss 11. February 1970 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Zaiga Jansone Nell Truman
Joyce Williams
5–7, 5–7
Win 12. August 1970 Sofia, Bulgaria Clay Tiiu Kivi Eugenia Isopaitis
Marina Kroschina
6–2, 6–1
Win 13. August 1970 Moscow, Soviet Union Clay Tiiu Kivi Peggy Michel
Valerie Ziegenfuss
6–4, 6–3
Win 14. January 1971 Hobart, Australia Grass Patti Hogan Brenda Kirk
Laura Rossouw
6–2, 6–0
Loss 15. January 1972 Hobart, Australia Grass Barbara Hawcroft Mona Schallau
Janet Young
3–6, 2–6
Win 16. February 1972 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Zaiga Jansone Eugenia Birioukova
Marina Kroschina
6–3, 5–7, 6–4
Loss 17. April 1972 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Helga Niessen Masthoff Lucia Bassi
Lea Pericoli
4–6, 4–6
Win 18. April 1972 Tashkent, Soviet Union Hard Zaiga Jansone Eugenia Birioukova
Marina Kroschina
5–7, 6–3, 11–9
Win 19. June 1972 Beckenham, United Kingdom Grass Sharon Walsh Laura DuPont
Mona Schallau
8–6, 6–1
Win 20. August 1972 Tallinn, Estonia Clay Zaiga Jansone Galina Baksheeva
Anna Yeremeyeva
4–6, 6–3, 6–3
Win 21. August 1972 Bucarest, Romania Clay Zaiga Jansone Eugenia Birioukova
Marina Kroschina
6–1, 6–1
Win 22. October 1972 Donetsk, Soviet Union Clay Zaiga Jansone Aleksandra Ivanova

Eugenia Isopaitis

6–3, 6–3
Loss 23. January 1973 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Eugenia Isopaitis Galina Baksheeva
Marina Chuvirina
3–6, 6–3, 3–6
Win 24. January 1973 Tallinn, Estonia Hard (i) Marina Chuvirina Eugenia Birioukova
Anna Yeremeyeva
6–0, 7–5
Win 25. February 1973 Baku, Soviet Union Hard (i) Zaiga Jansone Galina Baksheeva
Marina Chuvirina
6–3, 6–1
Win 26. July 1973 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay Aleksandra Ivanova Janet Young
Evonne Goolagong
2–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win 27. August 1973 Pescara, Italy Clay Zaiga Jansone Eugenia Birioukova
Marina Kroschina
6–3, 3–6, 6–1
Win 28. February 1974 Salavat, Soviet Union Hard (i) Eugenia Birioukova Rauza Islanova
Eugenia Isopaitis
6–3, 6–4
Loss 29. February 1974 Moscow, Soviet Union Hard (i) Eugenia Birioukova Galina Baksheeva
Marina Chuvirina
5–7, 1–6
Loss 30. June 1974 Eastbourne, United Kingdom Grass Chris Evert Helen Gourlay-Cawley
Karen Krantzcke
2–6, 0–6
Win 31. August 1974 Wrocław, Poland Clay Marina Kroschina Natasha Chmyreva
Yelena Granaturova
6–2, 6–0
Win 32. July 1975 Tallinn, Estonia Clay Marina Kroschina Natasha Chmyreva
Marina Chuvirina
6–1, 6–2
Win 33. August 1975 Vienna, Austria Clay Marina Kroschina Martina Navratilova
Renáta Tomanová
4–6, 7–5, 6–4
Win 34. August 1975 Tallinn, Estonia Clay Marina Kroschina Galina Baksheeva
Lydia Zinkevich
6–7, 6–4, 6–2
Loss 35. November 1975 Osaka, Japan Hard (i) Jeanne Evert Françoise Dürr
Rosie Casals
3–6, 3–6
Win 36. August 1976 Přerov, Czechoslovakia Clay Marina Chuvirina Galina Baksheeva
Natasha Chmyreva
6–4, 6–4
Win 37. August 1979 Sopot, Soviet Union Clay Natasha Chmyreva Eugenia Birioukova
Natalia Borodina
1–6, 6–0, 6–0

Junior Grand Slam finals

Girls' singles (1–0)

Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1965 Wimbledon Grass Raquel Giscafré 6–3, 6–3

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 Career SR
Australian Open A A A A A A QF A A QF A 0 / 2
French Open A 1R 2R 3R 2R 2R QF 2R F SF A 0 / 9
Wimbledon 1R A 1R 4R 2R 3R 4R QF F QF QF 0 / 10
US Open A A A A 3R A QF 3R A 2R 3R 0 / 5
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 4 0 / 2 0 / 26
Year-end ranking 7 9

Bibliography

Olga Morozova (2000). Only Tennis (in Russian). Moscow: Vagrius. Archived from the original on 26 February 2007.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Morozova Olga Vasilyevna". sport-strana.ru (in Russian). Sport-Strana. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  2. ^ Melik-Karamov, Vitaly (15 December 1996). "В Англии люди другие, но жить с ними можно" [The English People Are Different from Us but Living Alongside Them Is [Practically] Bearable]. kommersant.ru (in Russian). Kommersant. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Andy Murray apologises on Queen's Club court named after him for his 'diabolical' tennis". The Guardian. 9 June 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  4. ^ "Andy Murray has opened door to more female coaches, says Olga Morozova". The Guardian. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  5. ^ "USTA Yearbook – USTA Awards". United States Tennis Association. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  6. ^ "MOROZOVA Olga". Persona.
  7. ^ "Рубанов Виктор Борисович" [Roubanov Viktor Borisovich]. sport-strana.ru (in Russian). Sport-Strana. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Viktor Roubanov: "British Tennis Players Have Too Comfortable, Well-Fed Life"". u-f.ru (in Russian). Russian Federation: Youzhny Federalny. 12 July 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2024. For example, the National Sports Centre of Great Britain, where I work. It was built in Bisham Abbey, and the club house is located in a 14th-century castle, with huge fireplaces, old paintings on the walls, and we have lunch in one of the most beautiful halls. And the courts there are right on the bank of the Thames, yachts sail past, people drink champagne on them and happily wave at you. Who would want to work in such an environment! But it turned out that this is possible. But it was incredibly difficult for me to convince at least some English parents that you need to train not once a week for an hour, but at least three times a week - for four hours. Then the results will appear
  9. ^ Rerich, Elena (23 March 1998). "Larisa Preobrazhenskaya: "Little Kournikova Couldn't Be Unnoticed"". sport-express.ru (in Russian). Sport Express. Retrieved 14 August 2024. She was found by Viktor Roubanov, Olga Morozova's husband. Anya had been training in the subscription group at Druzhba with Anna Konstantinovna Sosnina since she was 5. Viktor found her there and offered to transfer to us at Spartak. At that time, we were leading the group together