Marbella (Spain), 11 December 2021 – The world of tennis is in mourning: at the age of 83 he died, in his residence in Marbella, Manolo santana. Born in Madrid in 1938, Manuel Martinez Santana, known as Manolo, was universally recognized as a true tennis legend due to his immense talent and extraordinary personal four Grand Slam tournaments; in 1961 and 1964 he raised the prestigious cup of Roland Garros – trophy also won in doubles in 1963 – after beating the Italian in both cases Nicola Pietrangeli. In 1965 he won instead US Open, while in 1966 – the year in which he also climbed to the top of the world rankings – he triumphed at Wimbledon, twelve years after the success of the Czechoslovakian naturalized Egyptian Joraslav Drobny, the last European before him to impose himself on the prestigious English turf. Santana also distinguished himself by representing the Spanish selection at Mexico City Olympics, where he put the gold medal around his neck. The Iberian champion retired in 1970 and then returned to the tennis courts in 1973 and remained there until 1980.
Nadal’s condolences
Many personalities from the Spanish sports world and beyond who have expressed their condolences for this heavy loss, among which there is obviously also Rafa Nadal who has entrusted his memory of Santana to Instagram: “I have just received the terrible news of the disappearance of Santana – writes Nadal in a post accompanied by a photo of him together with Santana -. As I have told you many times in the past, many thanks for what you have done for Spain and for having marked the tennis path of so many. He was a point of reference, a friend and a person close to everyone. We will miss you Manolo; you will always be unique and special. A greeting to your family and we hope you have a lot of strength in this moment. We will never forget you! “.
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