Tennis Player Back on Court After Leukemia

July 23, 2002 -- Bald, frail, and terribly sick from debilitating chemotherapy, Corina Morariu stayed in a hospital bed for much of the summer of 2001.

Her friends couldn't touch her for risk of infection, and at times she was too weak to walk.

Just six months earlier, she had been a vibrant athlete, a champion tennis player, winning the mixed doubles at the Australian Open. In 1999, she won the Wimbledon doubles title with Lindsay Davenport.

But then she was diagnosed with leukemia. Morariu heard the devastating news of her illness from her own father, a neurologist.

Close to Dying

"It was a major hurdle that I had to overcome to go to her and tell her what the diagnosis is," her father, Dr. Albin Morariu said.

He had conferred with her doctors and then told Corina that she had a rare form of leukemia.

"My husband was sitting next to me, and my father came in and told me that they had made the diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia," Corina Morariu, 24, said.

Her brother, Dr. Mircea Morariu, recalled the horrible condition his sister had been in after the diagnosis.

"When she was admitted ... she was as close to basically dying as you can get," he said.

The tennis champion started chemotherapy two days later. She had to deal with extreme weakness, complications with her breathing and fevers as she waited for her blood count to return to normal.

Because of great strides made in the 1990s for this type of leukemia, Morariu's prognosis was described as hopeful. Based on her age, physical condition and her response to chemotherapy, doctors described her odds of beating the disease as upwards of 80 percent.

‘A Fighter, a Competitor’

"I knew she was very tough," Corina's brother said. "She was a fighter, a competitor. And it just all came out."

Corina Morariu said her first thought was her life, not her career.

"As far as playing tennis again, that was … the furthest thought from my mind," she said.

But tennis never forgot Corina Morariu

Corina Morariu kept her spirits high by watching her friends during the 2001 French Open. She got a surprise lift from fellow tennis player Jennifer Capriati, who had won the singles — and later the championship.

When Capriati went up to accept her trophy, she held up a pink poster that said "Get Well Soon Corina," in big, bold letters for all to see.

"That sign was on behalf of everybody there," Morariu said. "I was just totally shocked and totally floored by it."

A New Challenge

Capriati recognized her tennis colleague again in a speech after she won the French open championship, dedicating her victory to her friend.

"I just started tearing up and just knowing that I was going, I wanted to get through this and I wanted to see them all again just as badly as they wanted to see me," Corina Morariu said.

She completed chemotherapy, and her cancer is now in remission. Her new challenge is to play tennis competitively again.

"Stepping out on the court and being able to play again," Morariu said. "I think that's going to be a way better feeling than winning Wimbledon or winning the mixed in Australia."

Morariu makes her comeback to the WTA tour in the Acura Classic, which can be seen on ABC, Sunday, Aug. 4 at 4 p.m.