Olga Morozova is a Soviet and Russian tennis legend. She did not win the Grand Slam tournaments alone, although she did reach the final twice and lost to the eminent American Chris Evert.
Especially offensive for Morozova ended the decisive match at Wimbledon 1974. Evert won in 59 minutes, one of the few finals in London that lasted less than an hour. In any case, Morozova is the first Russian tennis player to declare herself at the world level at a difficult time for the sport, which deserves respect.
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1974 is the breakout year for Chris Evert. The 19-year-old American began to outshine her compatriot titled Billie Jean King and the even more successful Australian Margaret Court. Early on, Evert won her first Slam at Roland Garros, beating Olga Morozova (6:1, 6:2) in the final.
The 25-year-old Morozova became a symbol of Soviet tennis on the international stage and was at the peak of her career, but was unable to do anything with her younger rival.
Chris Evert after winning Roland Garros – 1974
Photo: Keystone/Getty Images
It should be noted that Evert and Morozova got along well, although they fought for victory at the TBSH. The American and Russian paired up and won the title in Paris, defeating Germany’s Katya Ebbinhaus and France’s Gail Shanfro (6:4, 2:6, 6:1) in the final. All of this happened during the height of the Cold War. The USA and the USSR were at enmity with each other, but this did not become an obstacle to the joint performance of the representatives of these countries at a major sports tournament.
Three weeks later, Evert and Morozova met again in the TBS final, this time at Wimbledon. En route to the decider, the eighth seed Morozova knocked out Billie Jean King (7:5, 6:2) in the quarterfinals, then faced British star Virginia Wade (1:6, 7:5, 6 : 4). It looked like Olga could at least force a fight on Evert in the final. The previous six meetings ended in Chris’ favour, but the last one, at the Eastbourne tournament (6:1, 3:6, 6:3), went on for three sets and hinted that Olga might better compete with the American. . on the grass than on the same ground.
The start of the match was intriguing. Evert’s first serve game lasted 13 minutes. Morozova had three break points, but Chris, at the cost of titanic efforts, came out the winner. Probably, this moment released the American. The rest of the set lasted about the same as the first game. Evert hit the “shuttle” of Morozova (6:0), winning five games in 14 minutes.
Olga Morozova at Wimbledon 1974
Photo: RIA Novosti
The second game started smoothly, but then Evert made a break and took the 4:2 lead. Morozova did not give up, took the opponent’s serve and equalized the score – 4:4. Chris was not deterred, activating immediately and taking the next two games. Olga got nervous and double-faulted on match point at a time when she could still save herself.
Evert defeated Morozova 6-0, 6-4 in just 59 minutes, despite relative intrigue in the second game. Although it was not the fastest final of the tournament since the transition of tennis to the professional level. In 1972, Billie Jean King beat Australian Yvonne Goolagong 6:3, 6:3 in 50 minutes, and in 1973 she also beat Evert (6:0, 7:5) in 53 minutes.
At the same time, Chris became the youngest Wimbledon winner in the Open Era. She and Morozova were close to repeating the Paris scenario and succeeding as a couple in the context of fighting in the singles final. But still, Chris and Olga lost in the semifinals to the future champions Yvonne Goolagong and American Peggy Michel – 5:7, 2:6.
Chris Evert with the 1974 Wimbledon Cup
Photo: Getty Images
Regardless of what is said, Evert’s lead in the 1974 women’s singles final did not raise any doubts, and Morozova could only recognize the pattern of the result.
“To beat Evert, you need to take all your points. There is no other option”, Olga concluded after the match.
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Evert rejoiced at the win, which was a big surprise to her.
“I knew that I would play Wimbledon for years to come. But I thought that I could challenge for the title only in a few years, when Billie Jean King and Margaret Court will retire. I didn’t expect to win Wimbledon this year at all,” Chris said.
The 1974 Wimbledon men’s singles champion was American Jimmy Connors, which made Evert very happy. Chris and Jimmy were engaged. At the traditional championship dance, they passionately kissed.
Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert – 1974 Wimbledon champions
Photo: Getty Images
Evert and Connors were preparing to get married in the fall of 1974, but they ultimately fell out and the celebration was cancelled. The reasons for the disagreement were not named for a long time. Only in 2013, Jimmy admitted in his autobiography that Chris was pregnant, but miscarried for the sake of her career. Breaking up with Connors wasn’t easy for Evert. She dated actor Burt Reynolds and John Ford (son of US President Gerald Ford) for a while, but she still felt lonely. Her victory at Wimbledon 1976 did not bring her joy like she did in 1974, but tears.
“Jimmy was very attentive and caring. He cared about my results. He united us with the desire to become the first rackets in the world. I am glad that he became my first love in life. I remember the second time I won Wimbledon in 1976. I beat Yvonne Goolagong in a very difficult three-setter. And then she cried on the locker room floor because she felt lonely and empty. I felt like there is more to life than winning,” 18-time TBS Evert champion said in 2022, recalling the most dramatic moments of her career.
Evert married British tennis player John Lloyd in 1979 and became Christina Evert-Lloyd before divorcing in 1987. In 1988, Chris married skier Andy Mill. They had three children: Alexander James (born 1991), Nicholas Joseph (1994) and Colton Jack (1996). But this was not Evert’s final choice. In 2006, Chris filed for divorce, in the process Mill had to pay $7 million in compensation. In 2008, Evert married for the third time, Australian golfer Greg Norman became her chosen one. She broke up with him after 15 months, after which she decided to focus on herself.
Chris Evert in 2019
Photo: Kris Connor/Getty Images
Evert, 68, now runs a tennis academy in Boca Raton, Florida, with his brother John. She writes articles for the popular American magazine Tennis, of which she is the editor. For more than 10 years, Chris has commentated on Grand Slams on ESPN. In addition, she owns a tennis and outdoor clothing line called Chrissie by Tail. Evert’s life after the end of her sports career was a success.
Morozova lost the biggest match of her career in the 1974 Wimbledon final. After that, she did not reach the TBSH final, although she has Roland Garros semifinals in 1975 and quarterfinals at Wimbledon (1975, 1976) and the Open. from Australia (1975).
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Morozova’s performance on the international arena ended abruptly in 1977 for political reasons: the USSR boycotted all tournaments with the participation of athletes from South Africa, expressing a political protest against the apartheid policy. Only the domestic competitions and the Eurocup remained, where Africans did not attend, but elite tennis players did not come down either.
Morozova could still achieve a lot at TBSH, if it were not for this decision of the authorities. However, her track record is still impressive. She is a true pioneer of Russian and Soviet women’s tennis: she was the first of the Soviet and Russian tennis players to play in the final of the first-class professional tournament – Italian Open, the first seed in the TSH, the first to beat the world ranking leader (Billie Jean King at the Philadelphia tournament), first to play singles finals of the Slams, first Soviet tennis player to break into the top 5 of the WTA ranking and for four years in a row was in the top 10 of the world ranking.
Olga Morozova in 2000
Photo: RIA Novosti
Olga Morozova is the first Russian woman to be treated in the West as a true tennis superstar. In the future, only Maria Sharapova achieved this status, who became our first tennis player after Morozova to play in the Wimbledon final (she won the title in 2004).
In the early 1980s, Morozova ended her career and became a successful coach. Under her leadership, the USSR women’s team twice reached the final of the Federation Cup (1988, 1990), won eight gold medals at the European Championships. Over the years, she has worked with many famous tennis players, including Natalia Zvereva, Elena Dementieva, and Svetlana Kuznetsova. In 2000, the Russian Tennis Federation awarded Morozova the title of “The Best Russian Tennis Player of the 20th Century.” More than deserved, given her contribution to the development of this sport.
