Spanish tennis legend Manuel Santana dies at age of 83

Manuel Santana (center, with Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray)

According to the Associated Press on Saturday, Spanish tennis legend Manuel Santana has passed away at the age of 83. The native of Madrid, who went by the nickname of Manolo, won four grand slam men’s singles titles in his career. He won the 1961 and 1964 French Championship, the 1965 United States Championship, and the 1966 Wimbledon championship.

Santana was ranked number one in the world amateur rankings in 1965 and 1966, in an era of tennis history where the best tennis players in the world were divided between professionals and amateurs, Rod Laver of Australia was considered the best professional tennis player at the time, while Australians Fred Stolle and Roy Emerson were considered as the other two top amateurs.

A winner of all four grand slam singles finals he was a part of, Santana beat Nicola Pietrangeli of Italy in the final of the 1961 and 1964 French Championship, before the major was known as the French Open. In 1961, Santana won 4-6, 6-1,3-6, 6-0, 6-2. In 1964, Santana won 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. In 1965 at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York, Santana beat Cliff Drysdale of South Africa in the final, 6-2, 7-9, 7-5, 6-1. Then in 1966, Santana beat American Dennis Ralston, 6-4, 11-9, 6-4.

In addition to his four men’s grand slam singles titles, Santana teamed up with Emerson to win the 1963 French Championship men’s doubles title. Santana and Emerson beat Gordon Forbes and Abe Segal of South Africa, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.

One other massive accomplishment for Santana was the fact he helped Spain beat the United States in the semifinal of the Inter-Zonal Zone of the 1965 Davis Cup. Spain then beat India the Inter-Zonal Zone final, before losing to Australia in the Challenge Round. Santana was then inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island in 1984.

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