- Manuel Santana
-
Manolo Santana Full name Manuel Martínez Santana Country Spain Residence Marbella, Spain Born 10 May 1938
Madrid, SpainPlays Right-handed (one-handed backhand) Int. Tennis HOF 1985 (member page) Singles Career record 49–26 Grand Slam results French Open W (1961, 1964) Wimbledon W (1966) US Open W (1965) Other tournaments Last updated on: 5 July 2009. This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Martínez and the second or maternal family name is Santana.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).
Contents
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 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, 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.[1]
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.
Grand Slam record
French championships
- Singles champion: 1961, 1964
- Doubles champion: 1963
Wimbledon championships
- Singles champion: 1966
U.S. championships
- Singles champion: 1965
Grand Slam finals
Singles
- 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 Personal life
Manolo Santana was married to Fernanda González-Dopeso, they had three children (Manuel, Beatriz and Borja), he also married reporter Mila Ximénez, with whom he has a daughter, Alba. The divorce was not friendly. He's currently married to Otti Glanzelius.[2]
References
- ^ "Masters Series Madrid – Manolo Santana". Tennis-masters-madrid.com. http://www.tennis-masters-madrid.com/not_bios_manolo_santana.htm. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ "Mila Ximénez se lanza a cuchillo contra la mujer de Manolo Santana". Todoellas.com. 20 June 2006. http://www.todoellas.com/contenidos/espanol/48/milaximenez_4292.asp. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
External links
French Championships men's singles champions (1891) H. Briggs · (1892) Jean Schopfer · (1893) Laurent Riboulet · (1894) André Vacherot · (1895) André Vacherot · (1896) André Vacherot · (1897) Paul Aymé · (1898) Paul Aymé · (1899) Paul Aymé · (1900) Paul Aymé · (1901) André Vacherot · (1902) Michel Vacherot · (1903) Max Decugis · (1904) Max Decugis · (1905) Maurice Germot · (1906) Maurice Germot · (1907) Max Decugis · (1908) Max Decugis · (1909) Max Decugis · (1910) Maurice Germot · (1911) André Gobert · (1912) Max Decugis · (1913) Max Decugis · (1914) Max Decugis · (1915–1919) No competition (due to World War I) · (1920) André Gobert · (1921) Jean Samazeuilh · (1922) Henri Cochet · (1923) François Blanchy · (1924) Jean Borotra · (1925) René Lacoste · (1926) Henri Cochet · (1927) René Lacoste · (1928) Henri Cochet · (1929) René Lacoste · (1930) Henri Cochet · (1931) Jean Borotra · (1932) Henri Cochet · (1933) Jack Crawford · (1934) Gottfried von Cramm · (1935) Fred Perry · (1936) Gottfried von Cramm · (1937) Henner Henkel · (1938) Don Budge · (1939) Don McNeill · (1940–1945) No competition (due to World War II) · (1946) Marcel Bernard · (1947) József Asbóth · (1948) Frank Parker · (1949) Frank Parker · (1950) Budge Patty · (1951) Jaroslav Drobný · (1952) Jaroslav Drobný · (1953) Ken Rosewall · (1954) Tony Trabert · (1955) Tony Trabert · (1956) Lew Hoad · (1957) Sven Davidson · (1958) Mervyn Rose · (1959) Nicola Pietrangeli · (1960) Nicola Pietrangeli · (1961) Manuel Santana · (1962) Rod Laver · (1963) Roy Emerson · (1964) Manuel Santana · (1965) Fred Stolle · (1966) Tony Roche · (1967) Roy EmersonU.S. National Championships men's singles champions (1881) Richard Sears · (1882) Richard Sears · (1883) Richard Sears · (1884) Richard Sears · (1885) Richard Sears · (1886) Richard Sears · (1887) Richard Sears · (1888) Henry Slocum · (1889) Henry Slocum · (1890) Oliver Campbell · (1891) Oliver Campbell · (1892) Oliver Campbell · (1893) Robert Wrenn · (1894) Robert Wrenn · (1895) Frederick Hovey · (1896) Robert Wrenn · (1897) Robert Wrenn · (1898) Malcolm Whitman · (1899) Malcolm Whitman · (1900) Malcolm Whitman · (1901) William Larned · (1902) William Larned · (1903) Lawrence Doherty · (1904) Holcombe Ward · (1905) Beals Wright · (1906) William Clothier · (1907) William Larned · (1908) William Larned · (1909) William Larned · (1910) William Larned · (1911) William Larned · (1912) Maurice McLoughlin · (1913) Maurice McLoughlin · (1914) R. Norris Williams · (1915) Bill Johnston · (1916) R. Norris Williams · (1917) Lindley Murray · (1918) Lindley Murray · (1919) Bill Johnston · (1920) Bill Tilden · (1921) Bill Tilden · (1922) Bill Tilden · (1923) Bill Tilden · (1924) Bill Tilden · (1925) Bill Tilden · (1926) René Lacoste · (1927) René Lacoste · (1928) Henri Cochet · (1929) Bill Tilden · (1930) John Doeg · (1931) Ellsworth Vines · (1932) Ellsworth Vines · (1933) Fred Perry · (1934) Fred Perry · (1935) Wilmer Allison · (1936) Fred Perry · (1937) Don Budge · (1938) Don Budge · (1939) Bobby Riggs · (1940) Don McNeill · (1941) Bobby Riggs · (1942) Ted Schroeder · (1943) Joseph Hunt · (1944) Frank Parker · (1945) Frank Parker · (1946) Jack Kramer · (1947) Jack Kramer · (1948) Pancho Gonzales · (1949) Pancho Gonzales · (1950) Arthur Larsen · (1951) Frank Sedgman · (1952) Frank Sedgman · (1953) Tony Trabert · (1954) Vic Seixas · (1955) Tony Trabert · (1956) Ken Rosewall · (1957) Malcolm Anderson · (1958) Ashley Cooper · (1959) Neale Fraser · (1960) Neale Fraser · (1961) Roy Emerson · (1962) Rod Laver · (1963) Rafael Osuna · (1964) Roy Emerson · (1965) Manuel Santana · (1966) Fred Stolle · (1967) John Newcombe
French Championships men's doubles champions (1925) Jean Borotra / René Lacoste • (1926) Vincent Richards / Howard Kinsey • (1927) Henri Cochet / Jacques Brugnon • (1928) Jean Borotra / Jacques Brugnon • (1929) René Lacoste / Jean Borotra • (1930) Henri Cochet / Jacques Brugnon • (1931) George Lott / John Van Ryn • (1932) Henri Cochet / Jacques Brugnon • (1933) Pat Hughes / Fred Perry • (1934) Jean Borotra / Jacques Brugnon • (1935) Jack Crawford / Adrian Quist • (1936) Jean Borotra / Marcel Bernard • (1937) Gottfried von Cramm / Henner Henkel • (1938) Bernard Destremau / Yvon Petra • (1939) Don McNeill / Charles Harris • (1940-1945) No competition (due to World War II) • (1946) Marcel Bernard / Yvon Petra • (1947) Eustace Fannin / Eric Sturgess • (1948) Lennart Bergelin / Jaroslav Drobný • (1949) Pancho Gonzales / Frank Parker • (1950) Bill Talbert / Tony Trabert • (1951) Ken McGregor / Frank Sedgman • (1952) Ken McGregor / Frank Sedgman • (1953) Lew Hoad / Ken Rosewall • (1954) Vic Seixas / Tony Trabert • (1955) Vic Seixas / Tony Trabert • (1956) Don Candy / Bob Perry • (1957) Malcolm Anderson / Ashley Cooper • (1958) Ashley Cooper / Neale Fraser • (1959) Nicola Pietrangeli / Orlando Sirola • (1960) Roy Emerson / Neale Fraser • (1961) Roy Emerson / Rod Laver • (1962) Roy Emerson / Neale Fraser • (1963) Roy Emerson / Manuel Santana • (1964) Roy Emerson / Ken Fletcher • (1965) Roy Emerson / Fred Stolle • (1966) Clark Graebner / Dennis Ralston • (1967) John Newcombe / Tony Roche
Categories:- 1938 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Madrid
- Spanish male tennis players
- French Open champions
- Wimbledon champions
- United States Open champions (tennis)
- International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees
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