Tennis Players Hot Photos: Olga Morozova

Olga Morozova Biography

Born February 22, 1949 in Moscow. Father - Morozov, Vasily Antonovich (1923-1991), mechanic. Mother - Anna Morozova Illarionovna, accountant. Spouse - Rubanov Viktor Borisovich (1949. born.), master of sports of tennis, now together with Olga Morozova coached the youth team of Great Britain, the first coach of Anna Kournikova. Daughter - Catherine (1978. born.), champion of British tennis junior, graduated from the University at Los Angeles (USA).

Parents Olga Morozova - Muscovites. Her pre-school years were spent in a wooden two-story house near the stadium "Dinamo". Neighbors were many, but lived very harmoniously, and in the upbringing of children participated in all the adults from different families. Olga grew up very active, athletic girl. In winter, it could play for hours with the guys in the courtyard of the "king of the mountain" - a game in which needed to capture the top of a snowy hill and did not let her, or jump in drifts directly from the roofs of the sheds that surrounded the courtyard. These games are well-developed strength and coordination.

Education school, Olga was easy, it is very keep pace in all subjects included in all school teams: Volleyball, basketball, skiing. Since 10 years she began playing tennis at the courts of "Dynamo" the famous coach NS. Teplyakova. When the time for tennis began to leave more than the lessons had to go to night school.

In 13 years, Olga Morozova was the winner of the tournament championship CA Dynamo Riga in the younger age group. Since this tournament she won all the junior competitions, and soon it was included in the senior team. In 15 years, Olga Morozova already have collected the first team of the country. By this time she began to develop its tennis handwriting - an active game with quick access to the grid. In winter 1965, she first participated in an international tournament and played in a pair with the best tennis player of country A. Metreveli. In the same year she became a champion of Wimbledon girls. That victory, according to Olga Vasilyevna, became her start in the world tennis. In the years 1965-1966, she won the USSR championship among girls doubles and mixed doubles, and in 1967 - and in singles.

In 1967, Olga Morozova, together with B. Yegorov have won the Olympics, the Soviet peoples in the mixed doubles, in the semifinal win at A. Dmitrieva and A. Metreveli, and in the finale - in A. Ivanova and C. Likhachev (later, in 1975, Olga Morozova won the Sports Day and in doubles, and in 1979 - in the national team in Moscow).

In 1968, Olga Morozova, together with A. Metreveli became the first Soviet tennis players, which entered the final at Wimbledon. "Final Wimbledon - will say later, Olga, - gave me confidence that I can play on an equal footing with the strongest players in the world ..." In the same year, she paired with W. Jansen, and mixed doubles with B. Korotkov, she won the European championship in the 1968-1969 years in the USSR team won the Cup Suabo ". In 1969, the open championship of France, it was the only one who managed to win at least set at the owner's Grand Slam M. Court, and in 1970 together with A. Metreveli second time came in the final at Wimbledon in mixed doubles.

Early in 1969, Olga Morozova moved to CSKA. After winning the all-union competition in Leningrad and summer championships in Tashkent, she became the first tennis player of the country, the strongest in the history of Soviet and Russia's tennis. Olga Morozova led the All-Union classification for 11 years before moving to coaching. She - 22-times champion of USSR: Singles (1969-1971, . 1976, . 1980), . Doubles (1969-1973, . 1975-1977, . 1979-1980), . Mixed (1967, . 1970-1973, . 1975-1976) discharges, . absolute champion of the USSR (1970-1971, . 1976); championships finalist in singles (1979), . Doubles (1968) and combined (1968, . 1977) discharges,

. In the years 1972-1973 as part of CSKA Olga Morozova became the owner of the USSR Cup. It is 11 times the winner of the All-Union competition in a single winter (1969-1970, 1973-1974,1980), Doubles (1969-1970, 1973-1974) and mixed (1969, 1974) discharges, Moscow champion in singles (1971 - Summer ;

. 1967-1969, 1974-1975 - winter), Doubles (1967-1968, 1970, 1974-1975,1979,1981 - winter) discharges and mixed doubles (1970 - winter).

. In 1971 in Bulgaria Olga Morozova has become an absolute champion of Europe's tennis, winning all three discharges (Doubles, Singles and mixed doubles)

. In general, during the years of his athletic career at the European Championships she won 22 gold medals, 6 of them for singles. Brilliantly acted and in other international tournaments. She became the winner of the Italian Open championships (1972, 1973, 1974), USA (1973 - winter), France (1974) in doubles, a finalist BNL d'Italia (1972) and France (1974) in singles, Australia (1975) and USA (1975) - in a pair. Olga Morozova - winner of the professional tournament series "Virginia Slims" in singles in Alexandria (1970), . River Plate (1971), . Bekneme, . Tasmania (1972), . London (1973), . Philadelphia, . Perth (1974) and doubles in Washington, . Chicago (1976) and others,

. In 1973 at a tournament in Argentina, she won gold medals in all three discharges. Olga Morozova - absolute champion of the Universiade 1973, . winner of the summer international tournaments in singles (1970, . 1972-1973, . 1975), . Doubles (1968-1970, . 1972-1975) and mixed (1969-1971, . 1973) discharges, . winner of the winter international tournaments in singles (1969, . 1971, . 1973-1974, . 1977), . Doubles (1969, . 1972-1973, . 1980) and mixed (1969-1971, . 1974) discharges,

. In the USSR team (1968,1978-1980) held 17 matches in Fed Cup, twice (1978-1979) was a semi-final of the competition.

In 1973, Olga Morozova won the Queen's Club tournament in the finals after defeating the Australian and. Goolagong. Queen's Club initiated victories Olga Morozova of the strongest tennis players of the world. In the same year at Wimbledon she was among the seeded players, and the results of the competition was among the first eight. The following year, in Philadelphia (USA), at the prestigious tournament, she defeated world's first racket-Billie Jean King. This final match, according to OV. Morozova, was one of the best in her life. 1974 was the peak of her athletic career: in addition to the victory in Philadelphia, she entered the final of Wimbledon in singles. Since this could not be any of Russia's tennis player. Also in 1974, Olga Morozova won the open championship of Italy and France in the doubles, was the first Russia's tennis player - the winner of the tournament "Grand Slam". Olga Morozova joined the elite of world tennis, in the years 1973-1976 was in top ten tennis players in the world (the best result - 4 th place in 1974). "Universal style tennis game - said of her coach with. Andreev - successfully acted as an attack, and to protect. A powerful smash, confident game rally, sharply attacking actions at the net - the basic dignity of the game Morozova. Interesting it is characterized by high technology game, the constant striving for the initiative, the will to win. "

In 1981, Olga Morozova was appointed senior coach of the Soviet Union women's team tennis. It was a difficult period for the national tennis. Tennis then was not among the Olympic sports and athletes do not even know what the international tournaments they "present" in the coming season. At these tournaments more than three people did not fall, the team met only at Wimbledon. The situation was further aggravated, . when, in 1977 for political reasons, a ban on matches with athletes from South Africa, . in fact, obscured by the Soviet tennis players the way to the West, . international tournaments, . the grid which is usually included and South Africans,

. There remained only the domestic competition and European Championships. Becoming a coach, Olga Morozova began to fight for team travel to overseas tournaments. Stunt team USSR women's Fed Cup in Japan in autumn 1981 marked a good beginning her coaching career. Later, in 1983, at Wimbledon couple L. Savchenko - P. Parkhomenko was among the eight strongest.

OV. Morozov has created a coaching team, which included a. Bogomolov, T. Kakulia, A. Volkov R. Akhmerov, A. Teterin. "Any outstanding player - she believes - that the individuality and the role of a coach - as early as possible to find the feature that distinguishes it from others, and give an opportunity to express it at the highest level ... Qualification is determined by only one coach - the level of his students ... "Among the girls Olga Morozova - L. Savchenko, P. Parkhomenko, H. Zvereva, H. Medvedev, A. Meskhi, E. Likhovtseva. All of them have become a notable event in the world women's tennis. Women's Team under the leadership of the Soviet Union Olga Morozova twice entered the final of Federation Cup (1988, 1990), won 8 gold medals at the European Championships.

Olga Morozova pioneered the creation of "Kremlin Cup" Women. Leaving with his team in various tournaments abroad, she started paying attention to their organization, and soon came to believe that Moscow needs its own regular international tournament. This would not only increase the popularity of the sport in the country, but would also help young athletes make the first steps in international tennis. And Olga Morozova began to collect information that is necessary for the organization of this tournament. At the same time dealt with this issue and the senior men's team coach Sh. Tarpishchev. With the help of their Western counterparts, especially the one of the leaders of the World Tennis Association (WTA) - P. Kilmayer, Olga Morozova made by the International Tennis Federation included the women's international tournament in Moscow in the global schedule of events. In November 1989, the Moscow tournament, part of a series "Virginia Slims", successfully debuted in the "Olympic". This was the first real tennis holiday in the country for many years: the packed stadium, many famous guests, a huge number of prizes. The prize fund of the first women's tournament was 100 thousand dollars, but after 8 years has already exceeded one million dollars.

. Since 1991, Olga Morozova, along with her husband, Victor Rubanova work in the UK, at the Tennis Center Bisch-Abbey, near London, where the train national junior team

. Olga regularly takes part in the veterans' tournament, about 10 years running a sports newsreader on television and Russia's "Sky Television". In 2000 came the publication of her book "Only tennis.

OV. Morozova - Honored Master of Sports (1971), Honored trainer of the USSR (1991), Chevalier of the Order of Honor. In 2000, the Tennis Federation, she was recognized as the best tennis century. Four consecutive years among the ten best tennis players among professionals, ranked number four in the world skills among professional women.

. In his spare time, Olga attends the theater, exhibitions, loves to cook.

. Lives and works in the UK.

Olga Morozova