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$7,028,893
Singles
Career record	531–367 (59.13%)
Career titles	3 WTA Tour, 1 WTA Challenger, 19 ITF
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	558–347 (61.66%)
Career titles	12 WTA Tour, 4 WTA Challenger, 22 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 11 (2 April 2018)
Current ranking	No. 34 (9 December 2024)
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 WTA Tour. She also has many wins on the WTA Challenger Tour and the ITF Women's Circuit. She reached the doubles final at Wimbledon in 2017 with her partner Chan Hao-ching. She has also made it to the quarterfinals in doubles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. In singles, her best Grand Slam results are reaching the fourth round at the 2011 US Open and 2015 Wimbledon Championships.

Early Life and Junior Career

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, and her father, Mihai Niculescu, is an engineer. Monica has an older sister, Gabriela, who also played tennis professionally.

Before she turned 18, Monica won 11 singles titles on the ITF Junior Circuit. She also won eight doubles events. She reached the finals in girls' doubles at the French Open in 2004 and twice at Wimbledon in 2004 and 2005.

Starting Her Professional Tennis Journey

2007–2008: First Steps on the WTA Tour

Niculescu at the 2008 French Open

Monica Niculescu first tried to play in a WTA Tour event in May 2006. In February 2007, she made her main-draw debut at the Dubai Tennis Championships. A month later, she reached her first WTA event semifinal in doubles. She tried to play in the main draws of 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 bigger tournaments like the Qatar Open. In doubles, she reached her first WTA final at the Connecticut Open with her friend Sorana Cîrstea. By the end of 2008, she was ranked in the top 50 in both singles and doubles.

2009–2010: Winning Her First WTA Doubles Title

Niculescu at the 2009 US Open

In May 2009, Monica reached her first singles quarterfinal at the Internationaux de Strasbourg. In doubles, she won her first WTA Tour title at the Budapest Grand Prix with Alisa Kleybanova. She also reached another doubles final at the Stanford Classic. She finished 2009 as world No. 30 in doubles.

Niculescu at the 2010 US Open

In 2010, Monica reached the doubles final at the Hobart International. She also made it to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in doubles at the French Open. She won another doubles title at the $100K Pétange tournament. She returned to the top 100 in singles in August and stayed there for the rest of the year.

2011: Breaking into the Top 30 in Singles

Niculescu at the 2011 Fed Cup

At the Australian Open, Monica reached the third round in singles for the first time at a Grand Slam. She defeated a top-50 player in the first round.

At the 2011 US Open, she made it to the round of 16, which was her best Grand Slam singles result at that time. She beat two top-50 players on her way.

Later in the year, at the China Open, she defeated a top-10 player, Li Na. She then reached the final of the Luxembourg Open, but lost to Victoria Azarenka. After this tournament, she entered the top 30 in singles rankings and became the No. 1 Romanian player.

Winning Titles and Reaching New Heights

2012–2014: First WTA Singles Title and More Doubles Success

Niculescu at the 2014 Nürnberger Versicherungscup

In February 2012, Monica defeated a top-10 player, Vera Zvonareva, at the Qatar Open. She reached the final of the Luxembourg Open for the second year in a row. She then won an ITF title in France.

In 2013, Monica won her first WTA singles title at the Brasil Tennis Cup in Florianópolis, Brazil. She defeated Olga Puchkova in the final.

In 2014, she reached the third round of the Australian Open, beating No. 15 Sabine Lisicki. This was her first singles Grand Slam win after several first-round losses. In September, she won her second singles title at the Guangzhou Open, winning all her matches in straight sets.

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

In doubles, she won two titles back-to-back at the Shenzhen Open and Hobart International in early 2014.

2015: Reaching a Premier 5 Final in Doubles

Niculescu at the 2015 French Open

In 2015, Monica reached the final of the Nottingham Open in singles. At Wimbledon, she reached the round of 16.

In doubles, she reached her first Premier 5 final at the Wuhan Open with Irina-Camelia Begu. They finished as runners-up. She also won a doubles title at the $100k Poitiers tournament.

2016: Top 20 in Doubles and Olympic Debut

Niculescu at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships

Monica started 2016 by winning the doubles title at the Shenzhen Open. At the Miami Open, she reached the fourth round in singles, her best result at a Premier 5/Premier Mandatory event since 2012.

In doubles, she won her sixth WTA title at the Washington Open. A week later, she reached another final at the Premier 5 Canadian Open. She then reached her highest doubles ranking of 16th place.

Monica made her debut at the Olympic Games in 2016. She reached the second round in singles but had to withdraw due to an injury. She won her seventh career doubles title at the Connecticut Open with Sania Mirza. In October, she won her third career singles WTA title at the Luxembourg Open, beating Petra Kvitová in the final.

2017–2018: Wimbledon Final and Australian Open Semifinal in Doubles

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

At Wimbledon in 2017, Monica and her partner Chan Hao-ching reached the doubles final, a huge achievement! They finished as runners-up. She also won a WTA 125 event in singles at Limoges.

In 2018, Monica reached the semifinals in doubles at the Australian Open with Irina-Camelia Begu. She also had a big win in singles at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open, where she beat Maria Sharapova. On April 2, 2018, she reached her career-high doubles ranking of No. 11.

2019–2021: Completing Grand Slam Doubles Quarterfinals

Niculescu at the 2021 Open de Limoges

In 2019, Monica and Irina-Camelia Begu won a doubles title at the Thailand Open. She also won the $100k Ilkley Trophy on grass.

In 2020, she reached the doubles final at the Prague Open with Raluca Olaru.

In 2021, Monica and Jeļena Ostapenko finished as runners-up in doubles at the Qatar Open. She won another ITF doubles title at the $100k Nottingham Trophy. At the US Open, she reached the quarterfinals with Elena-Gabriela Ruse. This was special because it meant she had reached at least the quarterfinals in doubles at all four Grand Slam tournaments!

In October 2021, Monica won her tenth WTA Tour doubles title at the Astana Open with Anna-Lena Friedsam. She ended the season by winning another WTA 125 doubles title at the Open de Limoges with Vera Zvonareva.

2024: Recent Doubles Success

Monica Niculescu continued to have success in doubles in 2024. She played for Romania at the Paris Olympics with Irina-Camelia Begu.

She won the doubles title at the Monterrey Open with Guo Hanyu. She also won two WTA 125 doubles titles in October and November with Elena-Gabriela Ruse: the Hong Kong 125 Open and the Open Angers Arena Loire.

2025: Hobart Doubles Final

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

Playing Style

Niculescu preparing to hit a backhand

Monica Niculescu is known for her unique and unpredictable playing style. She is right-handed. Her most famous shot is her forehand slice, which is unusual because most players hit a topspin forehand. She also hits a strong two-handed backhand. She is good at hitting tricky drop shots and precise volleys.

Monica has mentioned that Martina Hingis and Andre Agassi are her tennis idols. Her playing style can be challenging for opponents because it's so different from what they usually face. She often uses her footwork to make her opponents run a lot around the court.

Coaches

Monica Niculescu is currently coached by Călin Stelian Ciorbagiu.

Images for kids

• 

  Niculescu at the 2016 US Open

• 

  Niculescu at the 2008 French Open

• 

  Niculescu at the 2009 US Open

• 

  Niculescu at the 2010 US Open

• 

  Niculescu at the 2011 Fed Cup

• 

  Niculescu at the 2014 Nürnberger Versicherungscup

• 

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

• 

  Niculescu at the 2015 French Open

• 

  Niculescu at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships

• 

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

• 

  Niculescu at the 2021 Open de Limoges

• 

  Niculescu preparing to hit a backhand