Manuel Santana

Manuel Santana
Santana in 1964
Full nameManuel Santana Martínez
Country (sports) Spain
Born(1938-05-10)10 May 1938
Madrid, Spain
Died11 December 2021(2021-12-11) (aged 83)
Marbella, Spain
Turned pro1968 (amateur tour from 1956)
Retired1977
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF1984 (member page)
Singles
Career record864–227 (79.1%)[1]
Career titles94[2][3][4]
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1965, Ned Potter)[5]
Grand Slam singles results
French OpenW (1961, 1964)
WimbledonW (1966)
US OpenW (1965)
Other tournaments
Olympic GamesW (1968, demonstration)
Doubles
Career record20–22
Grand Slam doubles results
French OpenW (1963)
WimbledonSF (1963)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic GamesF (1968, demonstration)
Team competitions
Davis CupF (1965Ch, 1967Ch, 1970)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
Mediterranean Games
Gold medal – first place 1967 Tunis Singles
Gold medal – first place 1967 Tunis Doubles
Silver medal – second place 1963 Naples Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1963 Naples Doubles

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[5] and in 1966 by Lance Tingay[6] and Sport In The USSR.[7]

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.[8][9]

  1. ^ "Manuel Santana: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Manuel Santana: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  3. ^ Archives, Tennis. "Manuel Santana:Career results". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  4. ^ Robertson, Max; Kramer, Jack (1974). The encyclopedia of tennis. New York: Viking Press. p. 321. ISBN 9780670294084.
  5. ^ a b "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.
  6. ^ "Stolle Ranked Second", The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 October 1966.
  7. ^ "Around the world..." World Tennis. Vol. 14, no. 8. New York. January 1967. p. 72.
  8. ^ "Manuel Santana: The first and last Spanish sorcerer backs his apprentice". The Independent. 9 July 2006.
  9. ^ "Did Health Issues Lead to Manolo Santana's Cause of Death?". US day News. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.