Monica Niculescu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Monica Niculescu

Niculescu at the 2016 US Open
Country (sports)	Romania
Residence	Bucharest, Romania
Born	(1987-09-25) 25 September 1987 (age 37) Slatina, Romania
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Turned pro	May 2002
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed both sides)
Coach	Călin Stelian Ciorbagiu
Prize money	US$7,059,187
Singles
Career record	531–367 (59.13%)
Career titles	3
Highest ranking	No. 28 (27 February 2012)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	3R (2011, 2012, 2014)
French Open	2R (2014)
Wimbledon	4R (2015)
US Open	4R (2011)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	2R (2016)
Doubles
Career record	561–352 (61.45%)
Career titles	12
Highest ranking	No. 11 (2 April 2018)
Current ranking	No. 37 (17 March 2025)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	SF (2018)
French Open	QF (2010)
Wimbledon	F (2017)
US Open	QF (2021)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	1R (2024)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	SF (2019) Record 33–23 (58.93%)

Monica Niculescu (born 25 September 1987) is a professional tennis player from Romania. She has been ranked as high as No. 28 in singles and No. 11 in doubles by the WTA. Monica has won three singles titles and 10 doubles titles on the main WTA Tour. She also has many wins on the WTA Challenger Tour and the ITF Women's Circuit.

Monica was ranked among the top 30 singles players for several years. She reached the final of the Grand Slam doubles tournament at Wimbledon in 2017. She also made it to the quarterfinals in doubles at all four Grand Slam championships. In singles, her best Grand Slam results were reaching the fourth round at the 2011 US Open and 2015 Wimbledon Championships.

Monica's Early Life

Monica Niculescu was born in Slatina. When she was four years old, her family moved to Bucharest. Her mother, Cristiana Silvia, works in pharmaceutical sales. Her father, Mihai Niculescu, is an engineer. Monica has an older sister, Gabriela, who also played professional tennis.

Monica's Junior Tennis Career

Before she turned 18, Monica Niculescu was a very successful junior player. She won 11 singles titles on the ITF Junior Circuit. She also won eight doubles titles, often playing with her sister, Gabriela. Monica reached the girls' doubles finals at the French Open in 2004. She also made it to the Wimbledon girls' doubles finals twice, in 2004 and 2005.

Monica's Professional Tennis Journey

Starting Out: 2007–2008

Niculescu at the 2008 French Open

Monica Niculescu first tried to play on the WTA Tour in May 2006. In February 2007, she played in her first main WTA Tour event at the Dubai Tennis Championships. She also got her first doubles win on the WTA Tour in June 2007. Later that year, she reached her first WTA doubles semifinal. Monica tried to play in the Grand Slams but lost in the qualifying rounds. She finished 2007 ranked in the top 200.

In 2008, Monica played in her first Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open. She also made her debut at a top-level WTA event, the Qatar Open, where she got her first singles win. She played in the main draws of the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open that year. In doubles, she reached her first WTA final at the Connecticut Open. Monica ended 2008 ranked No. 48 in singles and No. 48 in doubles.

First WTA Doubles Title: 2009

Niculescu at the 2009 US Open

In May 2009, Monica reached her first singles quarterfinal at the Internationaux de Strasbourg. Four months later, she reached another quarterfinal at the Tashkent Open.

In doubles, she had a great year. She reached the semifinals of the Open GdF Suez. She also made it to two Grand Slam third rounds at the French Open and Wimbledon. Monica won her first WTA Tour doubles title at the Budapest Grand Prix. She also reached another final at the Stanford Classic. By the end of 2009, she was ranked No. 30 in the world for doubles.

Grand Slam Doubles Quarterfinal: 2010

Niculescu at the 2010 US Open

In singles, Monica reached the semifinals at the Tashkent Open in September. She also won a match at Wimbledon. She returned to the top 100 in singles in August.

In doubles, Monica reached the final of the Hobart International. At the French Open, she made it to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. She also reached another final at the Prague Open. Monica continued her strong doubles play by reaching the quarterfinals at the Canadian Open and the semifinals at the Cincinnati Open.

Singles Breakthrough: 2011

Niculescu at the 2011 Fed Cup

At the Australian Open, Monica reached her first Grand Slam third round in singles. She defeated a top-50 player and then a seeded player before losing to a Grand Slam champion. In April, she reached her first singles semifinal of the year at the Estoril Open.

At the 2011 US Open, Monica reached the fourth round for the first time in a Grand Slam singles event. She won three matches before losing to Angelique Kerber. At the China Open, she defeated a top-10 player, Li Na. She then reached the semifinals of this big tournament. Monica finished 2011 with another WTA final at the Luxembourg Open, where she was runner-up. After this, she entered the top 30 in singles and became the No. 1 Romanian player.

In doubles, she reached the semifinals of the Brisbane International and the Andalucia Tennis Experience. Her best Grand Slam doubles result was reaching the third round of the French Open.

First WTA Singles Title: 2012–2014

Singles Highlights

Niculescu at the 2014 Nürnberger Versicherungscup

In February 2012, Monica reached the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open. She defeated a top-10 player, Vera Zvonareva, which was her second win against a top-10 player. In October 2012, she reached the final of the Luxembourg Open for the second year in a row. She won an ITF title at the Open Nantes.

Monica started 2013 by reaching the semifinals of the Shenzhen Open. She then won her first WTA singles title at the Brasil Tennis Cup in Florianópolis. A month later, she reached another semifinal at the Monterrey Open.

In 2014, Monica started with two quarterfinals at the Shenzhen Open and Hobart International. At the Australian Open, she reached the third round. In September, she won her second career singles title at the Guangzhou Open. She won all her matches in straight sets, beating Alizé Cornet in the final.

Doubles Highlights

Niculescu alongside Koukalová (right) at the Katowice Open, where they finished runners-up

In January 2012, Monica won a doubles title at the Hobart International. The next week, she reached her second Grand Slam doubles quarterfinal at the Australian Open. She also reached the semifinals of the Miami Open.

In 2013, she reached the quarterfinals at the Italian Open. In June, she reached the final of the Eastbourne International. This meant she had reached a final on all three main tennis surfaces (hard, clay, and grass).

Monica started 2014 by winning two doubles titles in a row at the Shenzhen Open and Hobart International. She also reached another WTA final at the Katowice Open.

First Premier 5 Final in Doubles: 2015

Niculescu at the 2015 French Open

The first half of 2015 was tough for Monica in singles. She played against world No. 1, Serena Williams, twice. In June, she won an ITF tournament in Marseille. She then reached the final of the Nottingham Open, beating a top-ranked player, Agnieszka Radwańska. At Wimbledon, she reached the fourth round.

In doubles, she reached the final of the Hobart International in January. In October, she reached her first Premier 5/Premier Mandatory final at the Wuhan Open. She and her partner, Irina-Camelia Begu, finished as runners-up. She ended the year by reaching the final of the Kremlin Cup and winning an ITF title in Poitiers.

Top 20 in Doubles and Olympics Debut: 2016

Niculescu at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships

Monica started 2016 by winning the doubles title at the Shenzhen Open. In singles, she reached the third round of the Australian Open. At the Miami Open, she reached the fourth round, which was her best result at a Premier 5/Premier Mandatory event since 2012. In doubles, she reached the semifinals of the Miami Open and the Italian Open.

In July, she won her sixth WTA doubles title at the Washington Open. A week later, she reached another final at the Premier 5 Canadian Open. After this, she reached her highest doubles ranking of No. 16. She then made her debut at the Olympics Games in Rio. In singles, she reached the second round. In doubles, she won the title at the Connecticut Open, her seventh career doubles title. In October, she reached the final of the Korea Open. A month later, she won her third career singles WTA title at the Luxembourg Open, beating Petra Kvitová.

Wimbledon Final and Australian Open Semifinal: 2017–2018

Niculescu at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships when she reached her first Grand Slam doubles final

At the 2017 Hobart International, Monica reached the singles final. In April, she won the doubles event at the Ladies Open Biel-Bienne. At Wimbledon, she reached her first Grand Slam doubles final with her partner Chan Hao-ching. They finished as runners-up. In August, she reached the quarterfinals of the Citi Open. At the US Open, she reached the third round. She also won a WTA 125 event in singles at Limoges.

Her 2018 season started with reaching the quarterfinals of the Hobart International. At the Australian Open, she reached the semifinals in doubles with her partner Irina-Camelia Begu. She also reached another quarterfinal at the Taiwan Open. At the WTA 1000 Qatar Open, she defeated Maria Sharapova in the first round. On April 2, 2018, she reached her career-high doubles ranking of No. 11.

Completing Grand Slam Doubles Quarterfinals: 2019–2021

Niculescu at the 2021 Open de Limoges

Monica started 2019 by reaching the quarterfinals of the Shenzhen Open. In doubles, she and Irina-Camelia Begu won a title at the Thailand Open. At the Miami Open, she reached the third round after beating Garbiñe Muguruza. In doubles, she reached the quarterfinals.

In the grass-court season, she won an ITF grass-court tournament, the Ilkley Trophy. At Wimbledon, she defeated former top-10 player Andrea Petkovic.

At the Prague Open, Monica finished as a doubles runner-up. At the 2021 Qatar Open doubles event, she and Jeļena Ostapenko also finished as runners-up. She won an ITF doubles title at the Nottingham Trophy.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Monica played only in doubles. She reached the quarterfinals of the US Open with her partner Elena-Gabriela Ruse. This was her first US Open doubles quarterfinal, meaning she had now reached at least the quarterfinals in doubles at all four Grand Slam tournaments!

In October, Monica won her tenth WTA Tour doubles title at the Astana Open. She ended the season by winning another doubles title at the WTA 125 Open de Limoges.

Recent Years: 2024–2025

In 2024, Monica Niculescu played at the Paris Olympics in doubles. She also won the doubles title at the Monterrey Open with Guo Hanyu. Later in 2024, she won two more doubles titles with Elena-Gabriela Ruse: the Hong Kong 125 Open and the WTA 125 Open Angers Arena Loire.

In 2025, Monica reached the doubles final at the Hobart International with her partner Fanny Stollár.

Monica's Unique Playing Style

Niculescu preparing to hit a backhand

Monica Niculescu is a right-handed player. She is famous for her unusual way of playing tennis. Her special move is an unpredictable forehand slice, which means she hits the ball with a backspin. She also hits a strong, two-handed backhand. Monica is good at hitting tricky drop shots and precise volleys (hitting the ball before it bounces). She uses many different spins to make it hard for her opponents.

Monica has said that Martina Hingis and Andre Agassi are her tennis idols. Her playing style is very different from most players, which can make it challenging for her opponents. For example, she uses a slice for her forehand but a topspin for her backhand. One of her tactics is to make her opponents run a lot around the court.

Coaching

Monica Niculescu is currently coached by Călin Stelian Ciorbagiu.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Performances

Singles

Doubles

Grand Slam Tournament Finals

Doubles: 1 (runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	2017	Wimbledon	Grass	Chan Hao-ching	Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina	0–6, 0–6

See also

In Spanish: Monica Niculescu para niños