Manuel Santana Martínez (10 May 1938 – 11 December 2021), also known as Manolo Santana, was a Spanish tennis player. He was ranked as amateur world No. 1 in 1965 by Ned Potter and in 1966 by Lance Tingay"Stolle Ranked Second", The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 October 1966. and Sport In The USSR.

He won the US Open in 1965 and, before winning Wimbledon the following year, he was quoted as saying "grass is just for cows", favouring artificial surfaces.

Career Santana was born in Madrid, and began his career as a ball boy and "picked up" the game. Santana took up tennis by chance after bringing a meal to his brother, who worked in a tennis club in Madrid. "I saw men in pants playing tennis. I was immediately charmed. I started as a ball boy, and then I started playing. In the end, I am an example of humility in an elitist world," he told newspaper El Español.

In 1965, Santana led Spain to unexpected victory over the U.S. in the Davis Cup, and he became a national hero. Despite his previous Grand Slam successes in the French Championships (1961, 1964) and the U.S. Championships (1965), Santana's win at the 1966 Wimbledon lawn tennis championships was a surprise, where he defeated the sixth seed Dennis Ralston in three straight sets.1966 Wimbledon final. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbi_LRTmC5M He also managed to attain the world number 1 ranking in 1965. His last big tournament win was in 1970 by winning Barcelona where he defeated Rod Laver. He also captured the doubles title in Barcelona that year when he teamed with Lew Hoad to defeat Laver/Andrés Gimeno.

Santana was named to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1984.

At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Santana won the gold medal in singles, but tennis was only a demonstration sport at that time. It became a medal sport in 1988 (after another demonstration event in 1984).

Santana later was captain of the Spanish Davis Cup team twice, once in the 1980s and again for four and a half years in the mid-1990s, until he was dismissed in 1999. Until 2019, he was the organizer of the Madrid Masters.

Santana managed the Manolo Santana Racquets Club, a tennis club in Marbella, Spain and the Sport Center Manolo Santana, in Madrid.

Santana and Lleyton Hewitt are the only Wimbledon men's singles champions to lose in the first round in the following year; Hewitt's loss was to Ivo Karlović in 2003 during the Open era, while Santana's was to Puerto Rico and U.S. No. 1 Charlie Pasarell in 1967 in the last year before the Open era.

Santana appeared at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships in London in the Royal Box to watch the men's final, which was between his fellow countryman Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

In 2020, Santana was awarded the ITF Philippe Chatrier Award for his contribution to tennis, both on and off the court.

Grand Slam performance timeline

TournamentAmateur careerOpen careerSRW–LWin%'58'59'60'61'62'63'64'65'66'67'68'69'70/'77 Australian OpenAAAAAAAAAAAAAA0 / 00–000.00 French OpenAAQFWSFSFW2RAAA4R4RA2 / 835–685.36 Wimbledon1R3R3R2RQFSF4RAW1R3RAAA1 / 1026–974.28 US OpenA2RAAAA2RWSFAA4R4R1R1 / 720–676.92CareerResults4 / 4595–4169.85

Grand Slam finals Singles (4 titles)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreWin 1961 French Championships Clay Nicola Pietrangeli 4–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–0, 6–2Win 1964 French Championships (2) Clay Nicola Pietrangeli 6–3, 6–1, 4–6, 7–5Win 1965 U.S. Championships Grass Cliff Drysdale 6–2, 7–9, 7–5, 6–1Win 1966 Wimbledon Championships Grass Dennis Ralston 6–4, 11–9, 6–4 Source:

Doubles (1 title)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin 1963 French Championships Clay Roy Emerson Gordon Forbes Abe Segal 6–2, 6–4, 6–4 Source:

Career finals Singles titles (94) (Incomplete roll) YearTournamentlocationSurfaceOpponentScore 1 1958Spanish International Championships Madrid Clay Isaías Pimentel 3-6 8-6 6-4 2 1959 Argentina International Championships Buenos Aires Clay Luis Ayala 6-2 7-5 2-6 9-7 3 1959 Catalonia Championships Barcelona ? Alberto Arilla 7-5 6-4 7-9 6-2 4 1960 Spanish National Championships Vigo Clay José Luis Arilla 6-2 9-7 8-6 51960 North Spain Championships Bilbao Clay Emilio Martinez 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-1 6 1960 San Sebastián International San Sebastián Clay Giuseppe Merlo 6-3 7-5 6-4 7 1960 Moroccan International ChampionshipsCasablanca Clay Giuseppe Merlo 6-1 6-4 6-4 8 1961 Colombian International Barranquilla Clay Rod Laver 6-4 6-1 6-1 9 1961 French Championships Paris Clay Nicola Pietrangeli 4-6 6-1 3-6 6-0 6-2 101961 Lido Championships Venice Clay Fausto Gardini 7-5 5-7 6-4 1-6 10-8 11 1961 Lebanon International ChampionshipsBeirut Clay Fred Stolle 6-3 8-10 1-6 6-3 6-3 121961 Baden Baden International Baden-Baden Clay Luis Ayala 10-8 4-6 6-4 6-3 13 1961 North Spain Championships Bilbao Clay Barry Phillips-Moore 6-0 9-7 3-6 6-0 14 1961Portuguese International Championships Cascais Clay Billy Knight 6-0 6-2 6-2 15 1962 Mexican Championships Mexico City Clay Rod Laver 6-3 6-4 5-7 7-5 16 1962 Dixie International Championships Tampa Clay Carlos Fernandes 3-6 6-1 8-6 6-2 17 1962Puerta de Hierro International Madrid Clay Roy Emerson 5-7 6-4 9-7 6-8 6-4 18 1962 Trofeo Conde de Godó Barcelona Clay Ramanathan Krishnan 3-6 6-3 6-4 8-6 19 1962 International Swedish Hard Court Championships. Båstad Clay Jan-Erik Lundqvist 4-6 5-7 6-4 7-5 6-3 20 1962 San Sebastián International San Sebastián Clay Ramanathan Krishnan 8-6 6-4 6-1 21 1963Dixie International Championships Tampa ? Fred Stolle 6-3 21-19 22 1963 Colombia International Barranquilla Clay Boro Jovanović 6-1 6-4 6-3 23 1963 Caribe Hilton International San Juan ? Roy Emerson 7-5 1-6 6-3 6-3 24 1963 Altamira InternationalCaracas Clay Thomaz Koch 9-11 7-5 6-1 6-4 25 1963 Masters Invitational St. Petersburg ? Roy Emerson 6-4 6-4 6-8 3-6 6-3 26 1963 River Oaks Invitational Houston Clay Chuck McKinley 6-4 13-11 3-6 2-6 6-4 27 1963 San Sebastián International San Sebastián Clay Mike Sangster 6-2 6-2 6-4 28 1963 Catalonia Championships Barcelona Clay José Edison Mandarino 6-3 6-2 6-0 29 1964 Copa Faulcombridge Valencia Clay José Edison Mandarino 6-3 6-4 6-2 30 1964 Puerta de Hierro International Madrid Clay Rafael Osuna 6-1 6-3 6-4 31 1964 French Championships Paris Clay Nicola Pietrangeli 6-3 6-1 4-6 7-5 321964 Colonel Kurtz Cup Deauville Clay Nicola Pietrangeli 2-6 6-3 2-6 6-2 6-2 331964 Baden Baden International Baden-Baden Clay Ron Barnes 6-3 6-3 341964 Bavarian International Tennis Championships Munich Clay Bob Hewitt 6-2 6-3 11-9 351964 Pacific Coast Championships Berkeley Hard Pierre Darmon 4-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 361965Copa FaulcombridgeValencia Clay Pato Alvarez 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-3 371965Barbados International Bridgetown ? Rafael Osuna 6-3 6-4 381965Dixie International Championships Tampa Clay Jan-Erik Lundqvist 6-3 8-6 6-0 391965 Trinidad International Port of Spain Hard Ramanathan Krishnan 7-5 6-1 6-4 401965 Colombia International Barranquilla Clay Ramanathan Krishnan 6-2 9-7 6-3 411965 Mexican Championships Mexico City Clay Ramanathan Krishnan 6-3 6-3 4-6 9-7 421965Caribe Hilton International San Juan Hard Dennis Ralston 6-4 6-1 431965Puerta de Hierro International Madrid Clay Juan Manuel Couder 6-1 4-6 0-6 6-4 6-3 441965 International Swedish Hard Court Championships. Båstad Clay Roy Emerson 6-1 6-1 6-4 45 1965U.S. National Championships Forest Hills Grass Cliff Drysdale 6-2 7-9 7-5 6-1 46 1965 Portuguese International Championships Estoril Clay José Luis Arilla 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 47 1965 Spanish National Championships Barcelona Clay ? ? 48 1966 Monte-Carlo Championships Monte Carlo Clay Nicola Pietrangeli 8-6 4-6 6-4 6-1 491966 Wimbledon Championships London Grass Dennis Ralston 6-4 11-9 6-4 501966 Quebec Round Robin Montreal ? Cliff Drysdale 6-3 3-6 6-1 51 1967 South African Championships Johannesburg Hard Jan Leschly 2-6 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-4 52 1967 Club du Lys International Tournament ChantillyL'Equipe, lundi 19 juin 1967. Article relatant les résultats en finale messieurs et double messieurs du tournoi Lys-Chantilly . Source : le quotidien "L'Equipe" microfilms - BPI. Grass Roy Emerson 5-7 9-7 6-3 6-3 531967 Canadian Championships Montreal ? Roy Emerson 6-1 10-8 6-4 54 1967 Mediterranean GamesTunis Clay Juan Gisbert 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-3 55 1967Colonnial Tennis Classic Fort Worth ? ? ? 56 1968 U.S. Pro Indoor Philadelphia Wood (i) Jan Leschly 8-6 6-3 57 1968 Tampa Dixie International InvitationTampa Clay István Gulyás 6-4 7-5 6-4 58 1968 Puerta de Hierro InternationalMadrid Clay Herb Fitzgibbon 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-4Open era 59 1968West Berlin Championships Berlin Clay Tom Okker 6-8 6-4 6-1 6-2 60 1968 Scandinavian Open Helsinki Clay Toomas Leius 6-1 6-1 6-461 1968Olympic Games MexicoGuadalajaraClay Manuel Orantes 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-462 1968Spanish National Championships Barcelona Clay Manuel Orantes 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-263 1969 Copa Faulcombridge Valencia ? Robert Maud 6-2 2-6 6-464 1969 Barcelona De La Salud Tournament Barcelona Clay Manuel Orantes 7-5 6-2 6-265 1969 Puerta de Hierro Open Madrid Clay Arthur Ashe 9-11 6-4 8-6 6-166 1969Swedish Open Båstad Clay Ion Țiriac 8-6 6-4 6-167 1969 Portuguese ChampionshipsLisbon Clay François Jauffret 6-1 6-0 6-268 1969Austrian Open Kitzbühel Clay Manuel Orantes 6-4 6-2 6-369 1969 Trofeo Melia, Madrid InternationalMadridClay Juan Gisbert 6-1 6-3 8-670 1969Manly Seaside Championships SydneyClay Ray Keldie 6-2 8-671 1970 Copa Faulcombridge Valencia Clay Manuel Orantes 7-5 1-6 4-6 6-3 6-372 1970International Championships of EgyptCairo Clay Alex Metreveli 7-5 6-2 6-4731970 Puerta de Hierro Open Madrid Clay Lew Hoad 6-3 8-10 6-3 6-0741970Andalusia Championships Seville Clay Gene Scott 6-1 2-6 8-6 6-475 1970Spanish Open Barcelona Clay Rod Laver 6-4 6-3 6-476 1971 Trofeo Conde de GodóBarcelona Clay Bob Lutz 6-4 6-3 6-477 1971 Aragon Championships Zaragoza Clay Harald Elschenbroich 6-4 6-4 8-6781972Grand Prix German OpenHamburg Clay Adriano Panatta 6-3 9-8 6-0791975Grand Prix German Open Hamburg Clay Jan Kodeš 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1801976Trofeo GilletteMadrid Clay Eddie Dibbs7-6, 6-2, 6-1

Personal life Santana was born in 1938, the son of a father imprisoned for his political beliefs during the early years of the Franco dictatorship. Santana married María Fernanda González-Dopeso in 1963; they had three children (Manuel, Beatriz and Borja). Their marriage ended in 1980. He also had a daughter outside his marriage, Barbara. In 1983, he married reporter Mila Ximénez, with whom he had a daughter, Alba. The divorce, in 1986, was unamicable. He also married (1990) and divorced (2008) Otti Glanzelius. He married Claudia Ines Rodriguez in 2013. The couple married in a private ceremony at the home of friends in Marbella.

Death Santana died on 11 December 2021, at the age of 83. The Madrid Open announced his death but not the cause.

Rafael Nadal reacted to his death by posting on Twitter, "the only other Spanish man to win Wimbledon. We will miss you. Thank you a thousand times for what you have done for our country and for having opened the way for so many people. You have always been a point of reference, a friend and a person very close to everyone." Spanish King Felipe VI also reacted by posting on Twitter, "there are people who become legends and make a country great. Manolo Santana was and will always be one of them." Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez lamented the loss of a "legend". He tweeted, "my condolences to Manolo Santana's family, his loved ones and the tennis world."

Citations

General sources Robertson, Max (ed.). Advisory editor: Kramer, Jack (1974). The Encyclopedia of Tennis. New York: Viking Press. .

External links

Manolo Santana Racquets club Sport Center Manolo Santana