Manuel Santana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manuel Martinez Santana, best known as Manolo Santana, (born May 10, 1938) was a Spanish male tennis player. He was born in Madrid.
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[edit] 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 USA in the Davis Cup, 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, tennis being only a demonstration sport as in 1984.
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.[1]
He manages the Manolo Santana Racquets club, a tennis club in Marbella, and the Sport Center Manolo Santana, in Madrid.
[edit] Grand Slam record
[edit] French championships
- Singles champion: 1961, 1964
- Doubles champion: 1963
[edit] Wimbledon championships
- Singles champion: 1966
[edit] U.S. championships
- Singles champion: 1965
[edit] Grand Slam singles finals
[edit] Wins (4)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1961 | French Championships | Nicola Pietrangeli | 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 | Cliff Drysdale | 6-2, 7-9, 7-5, 6-1 |
| 1966 | Wimbledon Championships | Dennis Ralston | 6-4, 11-9, 6-4 |
[edit] Personal life
Manolo Santana was married to reporter Mila Ximénez, with whom he has a daughter, Alba. The divorce was not friendly. He's currently married to Otti Glanzelius.[2]
[edit] Trivia
- Before winning Wimbledon he was quoted as saying "The grass is just for cows." i.e he thought that tennis shoud 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 Marat Safin, Marcelo Rios, and Jan Kodes (despite his 1973 victory at Wimbledon).
[edit] References
- ^ Masters Series Madrid - Manolo Santana
- ^ Mila Ximénez se lanza a cuchillo contra la mujer de Manolo Santana
