Former world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam winner Manuel ‘Manolo’ Santana has died aged 83. That reports the AP news agency on Saturday. Santana, who became the first Spanish Grand Slam winner in the 1960s, is considered the pioneer of Spanish tennis and the main reason the sport became popular there.
Santana had an impressive career. In 1961 and 1964 he won Roland Garros, in 1965 he won the US Open and a year later he took the title at Wimbledon. In 1966 he also conquered the number 1 position in the world rankings.
After his career, in 1984, Santana was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. During the inauguration ceremony, his American colleague Gene Scott praised, among other things, his “backhand topspin lob”, which the Spaniard is said to have introduced to tennis. Until recently, Santana was tournament director of the ATP tournament in the Spanish capital Madrid.
Top tennis players have reacted with sadness to the death of Santana. Rafael Nadal says on Twitter that he will miss his deceased compatriot. The 35-year-old multiple Grand Slam winner also thanks Santana for what he has done for tennis in their country.
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