The Queen's champion who reigned for half a century

When Olga Morozova lifted nan biggest trophy of her career, she mightiness not person thought she would beryllium nan reigning champion for much than 50 years.

But adjacent week she will yet suffer her crown erstwhile nan Queen's Club Championships stages a women's arena for nan first clip since 1973.

The victor will get a caller trophy, which has nan erstwhile champions engraved connected it, arsenic nan original 1 could not beryllium located.

And nan tennis world itself is besides a different 1 to Morozova's days of woody racquets and taking nationalist carrier to events.

As Queen's prepares to invited today's players to its writer courts connected Monday, Morozova reflects connected a clip erstwhile rainfall meant matches were moved indoors connected to a tricky woody court, nan arena was sponsored by a baccy institution and her prize money for nan title was £1,000.

For Moscow-born Morozova, prize money was not particularly relevant.

"I came from nan Soviet Union. We were not professional, we were amateurs. The money which I won not only present but successful Wimbledon, everyplace else, was going to our federation," nan 76-year-old said.

"They paid for my trip, they paid for my coach, they paid for my whatever."

That "whatever" would person included carrier and accommodation.

"We arrived astatine Queen's by Tube," she said. "We were staying successful Earl's Court successful a B&B. It was not a very bully B&B, I deliberation nan toilets and nan showers were 3 floors [apart]… You shared pinch different people, it was normal for everyone astatine that time.

"For Wimbledon, we had a car - ideate coming retired of nan B&B, down nan stairs and you person nan Rolls Royce pinch nan driver pinch achromatic gloves waiting for you and opening nan door."

It whitethorn not person been Wimbledon but Queen's was a prestigious event. Chris Evert and Margaret Court were successful nan field, on pinch Evonne Goolagong, whom a 24-year-old Morozova upset successful consecutive sets successful nan last without dropping serve.

It was a astonishment consequence to most, but not to Morozova.

"I retrieve I played well," she said. "Beforehand I was emotion nan shot bully and I already knew Evonne and knew really to play her, and writer was my very favourite surface."

Since nan prize cheque was not going to her pouch and location was nary replica trophy to return away, nan main use - prestige speech - was alleviation that nan determination to seed her for Wimbledon for nan first clip had been vindicated.

In nan days earlier nan computerised rankings system, seedings - which guarantee apical players do not meet very early successful a tourney - were decided by panels of experts.

"I was seeded 8 astatine Wimbledon, and everybody was saying 'Oh, my God, why is she seeded?' But yet I won nan tourney and I was really emotion rather bully because now they cognize why I was seeded!"

Morozova's serve-and-volley crippled was good suited to writer - she was nan Wimbledon inferior champion successful 1965 and won respective titles connected nan surface.

She reached nan Wimbledon last successful 1974, losing to Evert conscionable weeks aft losing nan French Open last to nan American. But together, they earned nan women's doubles title astatine Roland Garros, making Morozova nan first Russian to triumph a Grand Slam title.

As Queen's staged what would beryllium its past women's tourney for 52 years, a immense infinitesimal for women's tennis was taking spot astatine a edifice adjacent successful westbound London.

On 21 June 1973, Billie Jean King gathered a group of women to merge players from rival tours into a azygous organisation that became nan WTA (Women's Tennis Association), creating a first genuinely world master sports circuit and sparking a important summation successful prize money.

In betwixt darting to furtive meetings astir nan fledgling movement, King managed to triumph nan women's doubles astatine Queen's that week.

Since then, women tennis players person earned considerably much than Morozova's generation. Today, 7 of nan world's 10 highest-earning female sports stars are tennis players.

But though nan Grand Slams now connection adjacent prize money for men and women, location is disparity elsewhere. At different tournaments, minimum prize money levels are group by nan tours.

When she won nan title, Morozova won £1,000 - nan balanced of astir £15,000 now. The 2025 champion will return location $218,000 (£161,000) - complete 10 times much successful existent terms.

Morozova's prize was half of what Ilie Nastase won that twelvemonth successful nan men's singles. This year, nan men's champion astatine Queen's will person astir 2 and a half times much than nan women's.

The LTA has pledged to present adjacent prize money astatine Queen's and Eastbourne by 2029.

The full prize money for this year's WTA arena astatine Queen's will beryllium $1.415m (£1.043m), pinch nan LTA voluntarily expanding nan modular prize money by a third.

However, nan prize money for nan men competing astatine nan aforesaid venue nan pursuing week is 2.522m euros (£2.122m).

The WTA is aiming for parity successful prize money by 2033, and tourney head Laura Robson said astatine nan Queen's motorboat earlier this year: "The LTA decidedly would emotion to deed that marker good earlier nan WTA Tour but to do that we request a successful event, we request group to travel and watch and to get excited astir it.

"It doesn't commencement astatine each aliases nothing. We person to build nan measurement that nan tournament's tally and yet get to that marker of adjacent prize money but it's thing I'm each for arsenic a erstwhile player."

Morozova herself did remark, though, that nan prize money connected connection was "good".

"Of people I want nan girls to person much but astatine nan aforesaid clip I deliberation that it will come," she added.

After her playing profession ended, Morozova became a coach successful her autochthonal state but past spent galore years astatine nan LTA.

As precocious arsenic past summer, she was moving pinch British subordinate Harriet Dart, who reached nan 3rd information astatine Wimbledon. Morozova is besides afloat of praise for nan 2 starring British hopes astatine this year's Queen's.

She says British number 1 Katie Boulter, a aggregate title-winner connected grass, "knows her ain crippled truthful well" and ever produces "simple but very bully value strokes".

Emma Raducanu, meanwhile, "is improving her method side… [but] needs to beryllium a small spot much diligent pinch herself and her coaches" because her stunning tally to nan 2021 US Open title put her nether important scrutiny and pressure.

Morozova, who besides erstwhile coached Robson, believes nan return of a women's arena astatine Queen's will beryllium a immense boost for British players.

"They will person much acquisition connected nan grass," she said. "They will cognize really to play connected grass, they will person a small spot amended opportunity to execute overmuch amended astatine that precocious level."

The tourney has pulled successful 7 of nan world's apical 15 players. Whoever's sanction comes aft Morozova's connected nan caller trophy will person travel done a very competitory field.

Before that, Queen's will salary tribute to its astir caller female champion during this year's event, thing Morozova, who is now a grandmother, says is "a immense surprise" because she won "a agelong clip ago".

"I'm conscionable very pleased I'm still alive!" she said. "I tin travel present and it's very bully that I americium really recognised for what I did. It's lovely."