Manolo Santana, the tennis legend dies at 83

Spanish tennis legend Manuel Santana, known as ‘Manolo’, winner of four Grand Slam tournaments and the first Iberian tennis player to win the Wimbledon tournament in 1966, died at the age of 83. The Mutua Madrid Open confirmed his death. of which he was honorary president, immediately after the first farewell messages arrived on social networks, starting with that of Rafa Nadal. “Thank you for what you have done for our country, you will always remain a point of reference”, reads the post of the former world number one. Top 10 continuously between 1961 and 1967, Santana also became world No. 1 in 1966. Winner of 4 singles titles in slam tournaments; two at Roland Garros 1961 and 1964 against Nicola Pietrangeli. NICOLA PIETRANGELI – “Manolo is a brother who died to me, there are no words. I had no brothers and I considered him as such and now I know what it means to lose one”. These are the words of Nicola Pietrangeli to Adnkronos, on the death of the Spanish tennis champion Manolo Santana, a great friend as well as an opponent of Pietrangeli. “It was my beast if you like, nicely said, but then we were just friends. Today I have a great pain. I hope that all these phenomena that exist today will remember that there have been people like Manolo Santana”, concluded saddened Pietrangeli.