Elena Makarova


Elena Alekseyevna Makarova, is a former Russian professional tennis player.
Makarova played in the WTA Tour from 1991 to 1999. Her peak performances were in 1995, when she was ranked world No. 36 in doubles, and in 1996, when she was ranked No. 43 in singles.
In 2011, she coached Russian tennis player Margarita Gasparyan.

WTA Tour finals

Singles: 2 (2 runner-ups)

ResultW-LDateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–1Sep 1995Moscow, RussiaCarpet

Doubles: 1 (1 title)

ResultW-LDateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1–0Sep 1994Moscow, RussiaCarpet

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 11 (6 titles, 5 runner-ups)

ResultNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss1.12 August 1991Rebecq, BelgiumClay

Doubles: 8 (6 titles, 2 runner-ups)

ResultNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentScore
Loss1.1 April 1991Šibenik, YugoslaviaClay

Head to head

Legacy

In Russia, despite her modest popularity as a top-50 player, Makarova is well-known for providing her explanation for the issue of LGBT-athletes being more common among female tennis players than on the ATP Tour. She said the following: “When you get tired after a match or training, you no longer want to dress up or go to a party. Therefore, some tennis players solve the problem of sex by means of "lesser bloodshed" — with each other. Besides, you can't afford to take your beloved man with you — he has to work himself". The last part has been clarified to mean that "most female tennis players cannot afford traveling with their beloved man financially".