# Manuel Santana

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 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. 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 (who had become world No. 1 after winning his semifinal match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga).
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

Key :
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | Amateur career | Amateur career | Amateur career | Amateur career | Amateur career | Amateur career | Amateur career | Amateur career | Amateur career | Amateur career | Open career | Open career | Open career | Open career | Open career | SR | W–L | Win% |
| Tournament | '58 | '59 | '60 | '61 | '62 | '63 | '64 | '65 | '66 | '67 | '68 | '69 | '70 | / | '77 | SR | W–L | Win% |
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | 00.00 |
| French Open | A | A | QF | W | SF | SF | W | 2R | A | A | A | 4R | 4R | | A | 2 / 8 | 35–6 | 85.36 |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 3R | 3R | 2R | QF | SF | 4R | A | W | 1R | 3R | A | A | | A | 1 / 10 | 26–9 | 74.28 |
| US Open | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | 2R | W | SF | A | A | 4R | 4R | | 1R | 1 / 7 | 20–6 | 76.92 |
| Career | Results | Results | Results | Results | Results | Results | Results | Results | Results | Results | Results | Results | Results | Results | Results | 4 / 45 | 95–41 | 69.85 |

## Grand Slam finals
### Singles (4 titles)

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

### Doubles (1 title)

Source:
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Win | 1963 | French Championships | Clay | Roy Emerson | Gordon Forbes Abe Segal | 6–2, 6–4, 6–4 |

## Career finals
### Singles titles (94)

(Incomplete roll)
| | Year | Tournament | location | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| 1 | 1958 | Spanish 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 |
| 5 | 1960 | 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 Championships | Casablanca | 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 |
| 10 | 1961 | Lido Championships | Venice | Clay | Fausto Gardini | 7-5 5-7 6-4 1-6 10-8 |
| 11 | 1961 | Lebanon International Championships | Beirut | Clay | Fred Stolle | 6-3 8-10 1-6 6-3 6-3 |
| 12 | 1961 | 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 | 1961 | Portuguese 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 | 1962 | Puerta 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 | Saint-Sébastien International | Saint-Sébastien | Clay | Ramanathan Krishnan | 8-6 6-4 6-1 |
| 21 | 1963 | Dixie 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 International | Caracas | 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 | Saint-Sébastien International | Saint-Sébastien | 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 |
| 32 | 1964 | Colonel Kurtz Cup | Deauville | Clay | Nicola Pietrangeli | 2-6 6-3 2-6 6-2 6-2 |
| 33 | 1964 | Baden Baden International | Baden-Baden | Clay | Ron Barnes | 6-3 6-3 |
| 34 | 1964 | Bavarian International Tennis Championships | Munich | Clay | Bob Hewitt | 6-2 6-3 11-9 |
| 35 | 1964 | Pacific Coast Championships | Berkeley | Hard | Pierre Darmon | 4-6 7-5 8-6 7-5 |
| 36 | 1965 | Copa Faulcombridge | Valencia | Clay | Pato Alvarez | 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-3 |
| 37 | 1965 | Barbados International | Bridgetown | ? | Rafael Osuna | 6-3 6-4 |
| 38 | 1965 | Dixie International Championships | Tampa | Clay | Jan-Erik Lundqvist | 6-3 8-6 6-0 |
| 39 | 1965 | Trinidad International | Port of Spain | Hard | Ramanathan Krishnan | 7-5 6-1 6-4 |
| 40 | 1965 | Colombia International | Barranquilla | Clay | Ramanathan Krishnan | 6-2 9-7 6-3 |
| 41 | 1965 | Mexican Championships | Mexico City | Clay | Ramanathan Krishnan | 6-3 6-3 4-6 9-7 |
| 42 | 1965 | Caribe Hilton International | San Juan | Hard | Dennis Ralston | 6-4 6-1 |
| 43 | 1965 | Puerta de Hierro International | Madrid | Clay | Juan Manuel Couder | 6-1 4-6 0-6 6-4 6-3 |
| 44 | 1965 | International Swedish Hard Court Championships.. | Båstad | Clay | Roy Emerson | 6-1 6-1 6-4 |
| 45 | 1965 | U.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 |
| 49 | 1966 | Wimbledon Championships | London | Grass | Dennis Ralston | 6-4 11-9 6-4 |
| 50 | 1966 | 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 | Chantilly | Grass | Roy Emerson | 5-7 9-7 6-3 6-3 |
| 53 | 1967 | Canadian Championships | Montréal | ? | Roy Emerson | 6-1 10-8 6-4 |
| 54 | 1967 | Mediterranean Games | Tunis | Clay | Juan Gisbert | 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-3 |
| 55 | 1967 | Colonnial Tennis Classic | Fort Worth | ? | ? | ? |
| 56 | 1968 | U.S. Pro Indoor | Philadelphia | Wood (i) | Jan Leschly | 8-6 6-3 |
| 57 | 1968 | Tampa Dixie International Invitation | Tampa | Clay | István Gulyás | 6-4 7-5 6-4 |
| 58 | 1968 | Puerta de Hierro International | Madrid | Clay | Herb Fitzgibbon | 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 |
| Open era |||||||
| 59 | 1968 | West 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 6-4 |
| 61 | 1968 | Olympic Games Mexico | Guadalajara | Clay | Manuel Orantes | 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4 |
| 62 | 1968 | Spanish National Championships | Barcelona | Clay | Manuel Orantes | 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-2 |
| 63 | 1969 | Copa Faulcombridge | Valencia | ? | Robert Maud | 6-2 2-6 6-4 |
| 64 | 1969 | Barcelona De La Salud Tournament | Barcelona | Clay | Manuel Orantes | 7-5 6-2 6-2 |
| 65 | 1969 | Puerta de Hierro Open | Madrid | Clay | Arthur Ashe | 9-11 6-4 8-6 6-1 |
| 66 | 1969 | Swedish Open | Båstad | Clay | Ion Țiriac | 8-6 6-4 6-1 |
| 67 | 1969 | Portuguese Championships | Lisbon | Clay | François Jauffret | 6-1 6-0 6-2 |
| 68 | 1969 | Austrian Open | Kitzbühel | Clay | Manuel Orantes | 6-4 6-2 6-3 |
| 69 | 1969 | Trofeo Melia, Madrid International | Madrid | Clay | Juan Gisbert | 6-1 6-3 8-6 |
| 70 | 1969 | Manly Seaside Championships | Sydney | Clay | Ray Keldie | 6-2 8-6 |
| 71 | 1970 | Copa Faulcombridge | Valencia | Clay | Manuel Orantes | 7-5 1-6 4-6 6-3 6-3 |
| 72 | 1970 | International Championships of Egypt | Cairo | Clay | Alex Metreveli | 7-5 6-2 6-4 |
| 73 | 1970 | Puerta de Hierro Open | Madrid | Clay | Lew Hoad | 6-3 8-10 6-3 6-0 |
| 74 | 1970 | Andalusia Championships | Seville | Clay | Gene Scott | 6-1 2-6 8-6 6-4 |
| 75 | 1970 | Spanish Open | Barcelona | Clay | Rod Laver | 6-4 6-3 6-4 |
| 76 | 1971 | Trofeo Conde de Godó | Barcelona | Clay | Bob Lutz | 6-4 6-3 6-4 |
| 77 | 1971 | Aragon Championships | Saragossa | Clay | Harald Elschenbroich | 6-4 6-4 8-6 |
| 78 | 1972 | Grand Prix German Open | Hamburg | Clay | Adriano Panatta | 6-3 9-8 6-0 |
| 79 | 1975 | Grand Prix German Open | Hamburg | Clay | Jan Kodeš | 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 |
| 80 | 1976 | Trofeo Gillette | Madrid | Clay | Eddie Dibbs | 7-6, 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

* ↑ "Manuel Santana: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
* ↑ "Manuel Santana: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
* ↑ Archives, Tennis. "Manuel Santana:Career results". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
* ↑ Robertson, Max; Kramer, Jack (1974). The encyclopedia of tennis. New York: Viking Press. p. 321. ISBN 9780670294084.
* 1 2 "Do Aussies net U.S. dollars with tired tennis nomads?". Miami Herald. 11 October 1965. p. 5-D – via newspapers.com. Australia has yielded its customary top spot to Spain's Manuel Santana.
* ↑ "Stolle Ranked Second", The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 October 1966.
* ↑ "Around the world..." World Tennis. Vol. 14, no. 8. New York. January 1967. p. 72.
* ↑ "Manuel Santana: The first and last Spanish sorcerer backs his apprentice". The Independent. 9 July 2006.
* ↑ "Did Health Issues Lead to Manolo Santana's Cause of Death?". US day News. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
* ↑ AFP. "Manuel Santana, Spain's first Wimbledon winner, dies at 83". Sport. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
* ↑ 1966 Wimbledon final. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbi_LRTmC5M
* ↑ AFP. "Manuel Santana, Spain's first Wimbledon winner, dies at 83". Sport. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
* 1 2 3 "Manuel Santana, Spanish Tennis Great, Dies Ages 83 | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
* ↑ "Manolo Santana: Spanish tennis great dies aged 83". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
* ↑ "Masters Series Madrid – Manolo Santana". Tennis-masters-madrid.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
* ↑ Curtis, Jake. "The Most Shocking Upsets in Wimbledon History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
* ↑ "GUIDEPOST REPRINT: "SUPERMANuel at Wimbledon", 8 July 1986". Guidepost Magazine. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
* ↑ "SANTANA AND STOLLE HONOURED WITH ITF PHILIPPE CHATRIER AWARD". ITF Website. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
* 1 2 "Manuel Santana | Titles and Finals | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
* ↑ L'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.
* ↑ AFP. "Manuel Santana, Spain's first Wimbledon winner, dies at 83". Sport. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
* 1 2 Molina, Nacho (12 December 2021). "Así fue la vida amorosa de Manolo Santana más allá de Mila Ximénez". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 December 2021.
* ↑ García, Belén (22 July 2013). "La cuarta boda de una leyenda". Diario Sur (in European Spanish). Retrieved 12 December 2021.
* ↑ "Falleció Manolo Santana, una gloria del tenis". ESPN Deportes. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
* ↑ "Manolo Santana: Spanish tennis great dies aged 83". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
* ↑ "Manuel Santana, Spain's first Wimbledon winner, dies at 83". Sport. AFP. Retrieved 11 December 2021.

## General sources

* Robertson, Max (ed.). Advisory editor: Kramer, Jack (1974). The Encyclopedia of Tennis. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 9780670294084.