Corina Morariu
Corina Maria Morariu (born January 26, 1978) is an American former professional tennis player.
![]() Morariu at the 2009 US Open | |
| Full name | Corina Maria Morariu |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) | |
| Residence | Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. |
| Born | January 26, 1978 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Turned pro | 1994 |
| Retired | 2007 |
| Plays | Right-handed (single handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,733,916 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 160–134 (54.4%) |
| Career titles | 1 WTA, 5 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 29 (24 August 1998) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1998) |
| French Open | 2R (1998, 2000, 2003) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1998, 1999) |
| US Open | 2R (1997) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 248–158 (61.1%) |
| Career titles | 13 WTA, 9 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (3 April 2000) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2001, 2005) |
| French Open | SF (2005) |
| Wimbledon | W (1999) |
| US Open | QF (1999, 2002, 2005, 2007) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career record | 21–22 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2001) |
| French Open | QF (2003, 2005) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2006) |
| US Open | SF (2002, 2005) |
Morariu (pronounced: mo-RA-R'ju) was born in Detroit, Michigan and is of Romanian descent.[1] She turned professional in 1994. Mainly known as a doubles specialist, she won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1999 with Lindsay Davenport. She also won the mixed-doubles title at the 2001 Australian Open with Ellis Ferreira. She reached the Australian Open women's doubles final with Davenport in 2005. She also reached the world No. 1 ranking in doubles in 2000.[2]
In 2001, Morariu was diagnosed with leukemia and began a program of chemotherapy.[3] During this time, Jennifer Capriati dedicated her 2001 French Open victory to Morariu.[4] After recovering from cancer, along with shoulder surgery, Morariu was largely restricted to doubles play.[2] The WTA then created the Corina Comeback Award, which was presented to Morariu by Capriati.[5]
Morariu retired from the tour in 2007. She is an International Sports Ambassador for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and has released a memoir titled Living Through the Racket: How I Survived Leukemia...and Rediscovered My Self.[5] Following her retirement, she began working as a commentator for Tennis Channel.[6]
Grand Slam finals
Doubles: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1999 | Wimbledon | Grass | 6–4, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 2001 | Australian Open | Hard | 2–6, 6–2, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 2005 | Australian Open | Hard | 3–6, 4–6 |
Mixed doubles: 1 (title)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2001 | Australian Open | Hard | 6–1, 6–3 |
WTA career finals

Singles: 4 (1–3)
| Legend |
| Tier I (0–0) |
| Tier II (0–0) |
| Tier III (0–1) |
| Tier IV (1–2) |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | May 1997 | Croatian Bol Ladies Open | Clay | 5–7, 7–6(9–7), 6–7(5–7) | |
| Loss | 2. | April 1998 | Japan Open, Tokyo | Hard | 3–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 3. | May 1998 | Croatian Bol Ladies Open | Clay | 2–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | 1. | May 1999 | Croatian Bol Ladies Open | Clay | 6–2, 6–0 |
Doubles: 20 (13–7)
| Legend |
| Grand Slam (1–2) |
| Tier I (1–2) |
| Tier II (3–2) |
| Tier III (7–1) |
| Tier IV (1–0) |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | Apr 1997 | Japan Open, Tokyo | Hard | 4–6, 2–6 | ||
| Win | 1. | Nov 1997 | Pattaya Open, Thailand | Hard | 6–3, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 2. | Jan 1999 | Brisbane International, Australia | Hard | 6–3, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 3. | Apr 1999 | Japan Open, Tokyo | Hard | 6–3, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 4. | Jun 1999 | Birmingham Classic, UK | Grass | 6–4, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 5. | Jul 1999 | Wimbledon Championships, UK | Grass | 6–4, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 6. | Jul 1999 | Stanford Classic, U.S. | Hard | 6–4, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 7. | Aug 1999 | San Diego Open, U.S. | Hard | 6–4, 6–1 | ||
| Win | 8. | Feb 2000 | Cellular South Cup, U.S. | Hard (i) | 6–4, 4–6, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 9. | Mar 2000 | Indian Wells Masters, U.S. | Hard | 6–2, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 10. | May 2000 | Croatian Bol Ladies Open | Clay | 6–2, 6–2 | ||
| Loss | 2. | May 2000 | German Open, Berlin | Clay | 6–3, 2–6, 6–7(7–9) | ||
| Win | 11. | Oct 2000 | Japan Open, Tokyo | Hard | 6–1, 6–2 | ||
| Loss | 3. | Jan 2001 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Hard | 2–6, 6–2, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 4. | Nov 2004 | Philadelphia Championships, U.S. | Hard (i) | 5–7, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 5. | Jan 2005 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Hard | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 6. | Feb 2005 | Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo | Carpet (i) | 4–6, 3–6 | ||
| Win | 12. | Jan 2006 | Sydney International, Australia | Hard | 6–3, 5–7, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 13. | Sep 2006 | Bali Classic, Indonesia | Hard | 6–3, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 7. | Oct 2006 | Generali Ladies Linz, Austria | Hard (i) | 3–6, 0–6 |
ITF Circuit finals
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
Singles (5–0)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | August 22, 1994 | Nicolosi, Italy | Hard | 7–5, 7–6(5) | |
| Winner | 2. | May 22, 1995 | Salzburg, Austria | Clay | 6–2, 6–2 | |
| Winner | 3. | May 29, 1995 | Katowice, Poland | Clay | 6–4, 6–2 | |
| Winner | 4. | August 21, 1995 | Sochi, Russia | Clay | 6–4, 4–6, 6–0 | |
| Winner | 5. | February 23, 1997 | Bogotá, Colombia | Clay | 6–2, 6–3 |
Doubles (9–4)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | July 17, 1994 | Olsztyn, Poland | Clay | 4–6, 7–5, 5–7 | ||
| Winner | 2. | August 22, 1994 | Nicolosi, Italy | Hard | 6–1, 7–5 | ||
| Winner | 3. | January 30, 1995 | İstanbul, Turkey | Hard | 6–3, 7–5 | ||
| Runner-up | 4. | April 3, 1995 | Athens, Greece | Clay | 2–6, 5–7 | ||
| Winner | 5. | May 22, 1995 | Salzburg, Austria | Clay | w/o | ||
| Winner | 6. | August 14, 1995 | Carthage, Tunisia | Clay | 6–4, 7–6(7) | ||
| Winner | 7. | August 27, 1995 | Sochi, Russia | Hard | 6–3, 7–5 | ||
| Runner-up | 8. | August 28, 1995 | Athens, Greece | Clay | w/o | ||
| Winner | 9. | December 4, 1995 | Cergy, France | Hard (i) | 6–3, 7–5 | ||
| Winner | 10. | January 27, 1996 | Mission, United States | Hard | 7–6(7), 6–2 | ||
| Winner | 11. | February 17, 1996 | Midland, United States | Hard (i) | 7–6(4), 7–6(6) | ||
| Runner-up | 12. | May 19, 1996 | Athens, Greece | Clay | 5–7, 2–6 | ||
| Winner | 13. | October 12, 1997 | Sedona, United States | Hard | 7–5, 6–2 |
Doubles performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | SR | W–L | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | SF | F | A | A | 3R | F | 1R | 1R | 0 / 9 | 19–9 | ||||||||||||||
| French Open | A | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | A | A | A | 1R | A | SF | A | 1R | 0 / 7 | 7–7 | ||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | W | A | A | A | 1R | A | 2R | A | 1R | 1 / 7 | 9–6 | ||||||||||||||
| US Open | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | QF | A | A | QF | 1R | 2R | QF | 2R | QF | 0 / 10 | 16–10 | ||||||||||||||
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–4 | 4–4 | 11–3 | 4–1 | 5–1 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 13–4 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 1 / 33 | 51–32 | ||||||||||||||
| Year-end championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tour Championships | A | A | A | A | SF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | ||||||||||||||
| Year-end ranking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking | 187 | 81 | 66 | 49 | 6 | 14 | 57 | 78 | 156 | 24 | 15 | 34 | 76 | ||||||||||||||||
Awards
References
- Roberts, John (19 December 2003). "Morariu returns after leukaemia battle". The Independent. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- DeSimone, Bonnie (26 March 2007). "Corina Morariu happy to be on tour". ESPN. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- Banerjee, Sudeshna (28 July 2009). "Corina Morariu: The Braveheart Who Defied Death". Bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
- DeSimone, Bonnie (26 May 2002). "She won't stay down for long". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- "WTA Profile". wtatennis.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- Thurmond, Sarah (12 February 2010). "Q&A With Corina Morariu, Cancer Survivor and Former Pro". tennis.com. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
Publications
- Morariu, Corina (2010). Living through the Racket: How I Survived Leukemia…and Rediscovered My Self. Hay House Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4019-2649-6.
