# Olga Morozova

Olga Vasilyevna Morozova (Russian: Ольга Васильевна Морозова, IPA: ; 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".
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.
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.
In 2000, the Russian Tennis Federation awarded Morozova the honour of Russian Tennis Player of the Twentieth Century.
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.

## 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 | Perth, Australia | Hard | Martina Navratilova | Evonne Goolagong Peggy Michel | 7–6, 4–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 19. | Dec 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)

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

### Doubles: 37 (27–10)

| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Runner-up | 1. | February 1967 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Tatiana Chalko | Galina Baksheeva Anna Dmitrieva | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | March 1967 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Tatiana Chalko | Galina Baksheeva Anna Dmitrieva | 3–6, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | February 1968 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Rauza Islanova | Galina Baksheeva Anna Dmitrieva | 2–6, 5–7 |
| Winner | 4. | July 1968 | Båstad, Sweden | Hard | Eva Lundqvist | Kathy Harter Julie Heldman | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 5. | August 1968 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard | Marina Chuvirina | Kerry Harris Lesley Hunt | 6–0, 6–4 |
| Winner | 6. | February 1969 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Zaiga Jansone | Tiiu Kivi Maria Kull | 6–4, 8–6 |
| Winner | 7. | August 1969 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard | Zaiga Jansone | Galina Baksheeva Marina Chuvirina | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 8. | September 1969 | Turin, Italy | Hard | Zaiga Jansone | Marina Chuvirina Tiiu Kivi | 6–1, 4–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 9. | January 1970 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Zaiga Jansone | Rauza Islanova Eugenia Isopaitis | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 10. | February 1970 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Zaiga Jansone | Tiiu Kivi Maria Kull | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 11. | February 1970 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Zaiga Jansone | Nell Truman Joyce Williams | 5–7, 5–7 |
| Winner | 12. | August 1970 | Sofia, Bulgaria | Clay | Tiiu Kivi | Eugenia Isopaitis Marina Kroschina | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Winner | 13. | August 1970 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Clay | Tiiu Kivi | Peggy Michel Valerie Ziegenfuss | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 14. | January 1971 | Hobart, Australia | Grass | Patti Hogan | Brenda Kirk Laura Rossouw | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 15. | January 1972 | Hobart, Australia | Grass | Barbara Hawcroft | Mona Schallau Janet Young | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 16. | February 1972 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Zaiga Jansone | Eugenia Birioukova Marina Kroschina | 6–3, 5–7, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 17. | April 1972 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Helga Niessen Masthoff | Lucia Bassi Lea Pericoli | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 18. | April 1972 | Tashkent, Soviet Union | Hard | Zaiga Jansone | Eugenia Birioukova Marina Kroschina | 5–7, 6–3, 11–9 |
| Winner | 19. | June 1972 | Beckenham, United Kingdom | Grass | Sharon Walsh | Laura DuPont Mona Schallau | 8–6, 6–1 |
| Winner | 20. | August 1972 | Tallinn, Estonia | Clay | Zaiga Jansone | Galina Baksheeva Anna Yeremeyeva | 4–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 21. | August 1972 | Bucarest, Romania | Clay | Zaiga Jansone | Eugenia Birioukova Marina Kroschina | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 22. | October 1972 | Donetsk, Soviet Union | Clay | Zaiga Jansone | Aleksandra Ivanova Eugenia Isopaitis | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 23. | January 1973 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Eugenia Isopaitis | Galina Baksheeva Marina Chuvirina | 3–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Winner | 24. | January 1973 | Tallinn, Estonia | Hard (i) | Marina Chuvirina | Eugenia Birioukova Anna Yeremeyeva | 6–0, 7–5 |
| Winner | 25. | February 1973 | Baku, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Zaiga Jansone | Galina Baksheeva Marina Chuvirina | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Winner | 26. | July 1973 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | Aleksandra Ivanova | Janet Young Evonne Goolagong | 2–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 27. | August 1973 | Pescara, Italy | Clay | Zaiga Jansone | Eugenia Birioukova Marina Kroschina | 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
| Winner | 28. | February 1974 | Salavat, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Eugenia Birioukova | Rauza Islanova Eugenia Isopaitis | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 29. | February 1974 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Hard (i) | Eugenia Birioukova | Galina Baksheeva Marina Chuvirina | 5–7, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 30. | June 1974 | Eastbourne, United Kingdom | Grass | Chris Evert | Helen Gourlay-Cawley Karen Krantzcke | 2–6, 0–6 |
| Winner | 31. | August 1974 | Wrocław, Poland | Clay | Marina Kroschina | Natasha Chmyreva Yelena Granaturova | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Winner | 32. | July 1975 | Tallinn, Estonia | Clay | Marina Kroschina | Natasha Chmyreva Marina Chuvirina | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Winner | 33. | August 1975 | Vienna, Austria | Clay | Marina Kroschina | Martina Navratilova Renáta Tomanová | 4–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Winner | 34. | August 1975 | Tallinn, Estonia | Clay | Marina Kroschina | Galina Baksheeva Lydia Zinkevich | 6–7, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 35. | November 1975 | Osaka, Japan | Hard (i) | Jeanne Evert | Françoise Dürr Rosie Casals | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 36. | August 1976 | Přerov, Czechoslovakia | Clay | Marina Chuvirina | Galina Baksheeva Natasha Chmyreva | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 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 |
| 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 | |