Olga Morozova
Quick Facts
Biography
Olga Vasilyevna Morozova (Russian: Ольга Васильевна Морозова) (born 22 February 1949) is a retired female tennis player who competed for the Soviet Union. She was the runner up in singles at the 1974 French Open and 1974 Wimbledon Championships.
Career
Morozova won the Wimbledon junior's singles title in 1965 at the age of 16. Morozova was the first Russian tennis player to reach the singles final of a major tournament, when she was the runner-up at the 1972 Italian Open. Perhaps the peak of her career occurred in 1974, when she was the women's singles runner-up at Wimbledon and the French Open, losing to Chris Evert in both tournaments.
Morozova became the first Russian tennis player to win a Grand Slam title when she teamed with Evert to win the women's doubles championship at the French Open in 1974. Earlier, she and Alex Metreveli were the first players from the Soviet Union to reach a Grand Slam final when they teamed at Wimbledon in 1968, losing to Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher. They also reached the final at Wimbledon in 1970, losing to Rosemary Casals and Ilie Năstase.
Morozova also was the runner-up in three Grand Slam women's doubles tournaments. She teamed with Court at the 1975 Australian Open, losing to Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Peggy Michel. She played with Julie Anthony at the 1975 French Open, losing to Evert and Martina Navratilova, and with Virginia Wade at the 1976 U.S. Open, losing to Ilana Kloss and Delina Boshoff.
Morozova's playing career was cut short in 1977 because of the Soviet Union's policy against competing with South Africans. At this point, she retired from the professional tour. Her post-playing coaching resume includes three years (1991–94) coaching the British national team and a similar stint leading the Soviet team. In 1989 she was played the mixed with Alexander Metreveli in US Open 1989
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 not only to players of her own class but also to players of a lesser class and to junior players.
Grand Slam finals
Singles: 2 (2 runners-up)
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in final | Score in final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1974 | French Open | Clay | Chris Evert | 6–1, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 1974 | Wimbledon | Grass | Chris Evert | 6–0, 6–4 |
Women's doubles: 4 (1 title, 3 runners-up)
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in final | Score in final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 1974 | French Open | Clay | Chris Evert | Gail Chanfreau Katja Ebbinghaus | 6–4, 2–6, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 1975 | Australian Open | Grass | Margaret Court | Evonne Goolagong Peggy Michel | 7–6, 7–6 |
Runner-up | 1975 | French Open | Clay | Julie Anthony | Chris Evert Martina Navratilova | 6–3, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 1976 | US Open | Clay | Virginia Wade | Delina Boshoff Ilana Kloss | 6–1, 6–4 |
Mixed doubles: 2 (2 runners-up)
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents in final | Score in final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1968 | Wimbledon | Grass | Alex Metreveli | Margaret Court Ken Fletcher | 6–1, 14–12 |
Runner-up | 1970 | Wimbledon | Grass | Alex Metreveli | Rosemary Casals Ilie Năstase | 6–3, 4–6, 9–7 |
Titles (24)
Singles (8)
|
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 1. | 15 February 1971 | Moscow, USSR | Carpet (i) | Maria Kull | 6–1, 7–5 |
Winner | 2. | 26 April 1971 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Clay | Anna-Maria Nasuelli | 6–3, 6–4 |
Winner | 3. | 21 August 1972 | Orange, New Jersey, USA | Grass | Marina Kroschina | 6–2, 6–7, 7–5 |
Winner | 4. | 18 June 1973 | London, UK | Grass | Evonne Goolagong | 6–2, 6–3 |
Winner | 5. | 22 April 1974 | Philadelphia, USA | Hard (i) | Billie Jean King | 7–6, 6–1 |
Winner | 6. | 2 December 1974 | Adelaide, Australia | Grass | Evonne Goolagong | 7–6, 2–6, 6–2 |
Winner | 7. | 18 January 1975 | Moscow, USSR | Carpet (i) | Elena Granaturova | 6–0, 1–6, 6–4 |
Winner | 8. | 7 June 1976 | Beckenham, UK | Grass | Marise Kruger | 7–5, 2–6, 6–3 |
Doubles (16)
Grand slam events in boldface.
Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
Tournament | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | Career SR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | A | QF | A | 0 / 2 |
France | 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 |
United States | 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 |
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.