Manuel Santana
Encyclopedia
Manuel Martínez Santana, best known as Manolo Santana, (born 10 May 1938) is a former tennis champion from Spain. He was born in Madrid
.
Before winning Wimbledon
he was quoted as saying "The grass is just for cows." He thought that tennis should be played on artificial surfaces as opposed to lawn tennis courts like the ones at Wimbledon. This statement has been repeated throughout the years by numerous players including Ivan Lendl
, Marat Safin
, Marcelo Ríos
, and Jan Kodeš
(despite his 1973 victory at Wimbledon).
, and he became a national hero, receiving the public approval of the Spanish leader, General Franco
. 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 R.D. Ralston 6–4, 11–9, 6–4. This was his last Grand slam title. His last major win was in 1970 by winning Barcelona where he defeated Rod Laver 6–4 6–3 6–4. He also captured the doubles title in Barcelona that year when he teamed with L. Hoad to defeat R. Laver/A. Gimeno 6–4 9–7 7–5. He was named to the Hall of Fame in 1984.
At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Santana won the Gold Medal in Singles, though tennis was only a demonstration sport at that time. It became a medal sport in 1988.
He later was captain of the Spanish Copa Davis Team twice, once in the 80s and again for four and a half years in the mid-90s, until he was dismissed in 1999. Currently, he is the organizer of the Madrid Masters
.
He manages the Manolo Santana Racquets club, a tennis club in Marbella, and the Sport Center Manolo Santana, in Madrid.
Santana is with Lleyton Hewitt as the only Wimbledon Men's singles champion to lose in the first round in the following year.
He appeared at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships
in London, England in the Royal Box to watch the Men's Final which was between his fellow countryman Rafael Nadal
and the World No.2 at the time Novak Djokovic
.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
Before winning Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
he was quoted as saying "The grass is just for cows." He thought that tennis should be played on artificial surfaces as opposed to lawn tennis courts like the ones at Wimbledon. This statement has been repeated throughout the years by numerous players including Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
, Marat Safin
Marat Safin
Marat Mikhailovich Safin is a retired Russian tennis player of Tatar descent. Safin won two grand slams and reached the world number 1 ranking during his career. He was also famous for his emotional outbursts and sometimes fiery temper on court. Safin also holds the record for most broken...
, Marcelo Ríos
Marcelo Ríos
Marcelo Andrés Ríos Mayorga is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Chile. Nicknamed El Chino and El zurdo de Vitacura , he became the first Latin American player to reach the top position on the Association of Tennis Professionals singles rankings in 1998. He held the World No...
, and Jan Kodeš
Jan Kodeš
Jan Kodeš is a right-handed Czech former tennis player who won three Grand Slam events in the early-1970s.Kodeš's greatest success was on the clay courts of the French Open. He won the title there in 1970, beating Željko Franulović in the final, and in 1971, defeating Ilie Năstase in the final...
(despite his 1973 victory at Wimbledon).
Career
In 1965, Santana, who had begun his career as a ball boy and "picked up" the game, led Spain to unexpected victory over the US in the Davis CupDavis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
, and he became a national hero, receiving the public approval of the Spanish leader, General Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
. 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
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
lawn tennis championships was a surprise, where he defeated the sixth seed R.D. Ralston 6–4, 11–9, 6–4. This was his last Grand slam title. His last major win was in 1970 by winning Barcelona where he defeated Rod Laver 6–4 6–3 6–4. He also captured the doubles title in Barcelona that year when he teamed with L. Hoad to defeat R. Laver/A. Gimeno 6–4 9–7 7–5. He was named to the Hall of Fame in 1984.
At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Santana won the Gold Medal in Singles, though tennis was only a demonstration sport at that time. It became a medal sport in 1988.
He later was captain of the Spanish Copa Davis Team twice, once in the 80s and again for four and a half years in the mid-90s, until he was dismissed in 1999. Currently, he is the organizer of the Madrid Masters
Madrid Masters
There are two sporting events named the Madrid Masters:*Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open — a men's and women's tennis tournament*Madrid Masters...
.
He manages the Manolo Santana Racquets club, a tennis club in Marbella, and the Sport Center Manolo Santana, in Madrid.
Santana is with Lleyton Hewitt as the only Wimbledon Men's singles champion to lose in the first round in the following year.
He appeared at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships
2011 Wimbledon Championships
The 2011 Wimbledon Championships took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, England, from 20 June to 3 July 2011. It was the 125th edition of the championships, and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. It was played on grass courts and was part of the...
in London, England in the Royal Box to watch the Men's Final which was between his fellow countryman Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
and the World No.2 at the time Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
.
Singles
Wins (4)| Year | Championship | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1961 | French Championships |  Nicola PietrangeliNicola Pietrangeli Nicola "Nicky" Pietrangeli is a former tennis player from Italy. He is considered by many to be Italy's greatest-ever tennis champion.... |
4–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–0, 6–2 |
| 1964 | French Championships (2) | Nicola Pietrangeli |
6–3, 6–1, 4–6, 7–5 |
| 1965 | U.S. Championships U.S. Open (tennis) The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881... |
 Cliff DrysdaleCliff Drysdale Cliff Drysdale is a former top-ranked professional tennis player of the 1960s and early 1970s who became a well-known tennis announcer. He was one of the Handsome Eight, signed by Lamar Hunt in 1968 for the newly formed World Championship Tennis group... |
6–2, 7–9, 7–5, 6–1 |
| 1966 | Wimbledon Championships The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
 Dennis RalstonDennis Ralston Richard Dennis Ralston is an American former professional tennis player. He attended the University of Southern California and won NCAA championships under their legendary coach, George Toley. He was coached in his earlier years by the legendary tennis player, Pancho Gonzales... |
6–4, 11–9, 6–4 |