The amateur years
Spain · born Madrid, 1938 · died 2021 · Wimbledon champion 1966
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1966
First Spaniard to win the Wimbledon singles
2
Grass major titles, Forest Hills and Wimbledon
4
Major singles titles, 1961 to 1966
92-28
Davis Cup match record for Spain
15-13
Fourth set against Roy Emerson, Sydney 1965
Born in Madrid in 1938, Santana came into tennis as a ball boy at a Madrid club. He won the French Championships in 1961 and 1964, the US Championships in 1965 and Wimbledon in 1966, and was ranked amateur world No. 1 in 1965 and 1966. He played Davis Cup for Spain from 1958 to 1970 and in 1973, winning 92 of 120 matches and taking Spain to the Challenge Round in 1965 and 1967. He won the demonstration event at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, later captained Spain in the Davis Cup, and directed the Madrid tournament until 2019. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1984 and died in Marbella in 2021.
| Wimbledon singles | Champion 1966 as fourth seed, beating Dennis Ralston 6-4, 11-9, 6-4 in the final. Semi-finalist 1963, quarter-finalist 1962; ten appearances from 1958 to 1968 |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon doubles | Semi-finalist 1963 |
| US Championships, Forest Hills | Champion 1965 as fourth seed, beating Arthur Ashe in the semi-final and Cliff Drysdale 6-2, 7-9, 7-5, 6-1 in the final; the first European champion since Henri Cochet in 1928 |
| Close calls, 1966 | Quarter-final: beat Ken Fletcher 6-2, 3-6, 8-6, 4-6, 7-5 after Fletcher had served for the match. Semi-final: beat Owen Davidson 6-2, 4-6, 9-7, 3-6, 7-5 |
| Davis Cup on grass | Challenge Rounds against Australia at White City, Sydney, in 1965 and Milton Courts, Brisbane, in 1967, both lost 4-1. Beat Roy Emerson 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 15-13 in 1965 and John Newcombe 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 in 1967 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Men's singles | |
| US Championships | ||
| 1965 | Men's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"Grass is just for cows."
The person behind the player.
Madrid · Childhood
Santana found tennis by chance, bringing a meal to his brother, who worked at a tennis club in Madrid. He started as a ball boy and picked up the game from there. "I saw men in pants playing tennis. I was immediately charmed," he told El Español. "In the end, I am an example of humility in an elitist world."
Source: WikipediaParis 1961
His first major title came at the French Championships in 1961, and he is said to have wept for an hour afterwards. A British critic of the time wrote that on court he "sees the ball a yard faster than most others".
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameWimbledon 1966 · Final
Princess Marina presented the trophy. Santana kissed her hand and smiled at the gallery, and the crowd of 16,000 broke into applause. Before the final the English press had praised his friendly, natural charm. Spain, then isolated internationally, watched on television, and he was awarded the gold medal for Sporting Merit.
Source: GuidepostWimbledon 1967 · First round
A year after his title, Santana lost his opening match to Charlie Pasarell of Puerto Rico, the US No. 1. He and Lleyton Hewitt, beaten by Ivo Karlović in 2003, remain the only men's champions to lose in the first round the following year.
Source: WikipediaMexico City 1968
At the 1968 Olympic Games Santana won the singles gold medal, but tennis was there only as a demonstration sport. It did not become a full medal sport until 1988, after a second demonstration event in 1984. He also reached the doubles final in Mexico City.
Source: WikipediaMadrid · Caja Mágica
Santana helped bring a top-level tournament to Madrid when the city acquired its licence from Stuttgart, and served as its director until 2019, when Feliciano López took over and Santana became honorary president. The first of the three stadiums at the Caja Mágica, with 12,500 seats and a retractable roof, carries his name.
Source: Mutua Madrid OpenFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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