Tennis legend is dead - Boris Becker mourns: "Rest in peace, my friend"

Created: 12/14/2021, 10:27 AM

From: Alexander Kaindl

He won four Grand Slam tournaments and was an early sport superstar.

Manuel Santana has now died at the age of 83.

Boris Becker also mourns.

Madrid - He was one of the greats of the sport, won four Grand Slam titles and was a role model for countless tennis players around the world.

Manuel Santana is now dead. The Spanish legend died on Saturday 11 December at the age of 83 in Marbella.

Santana won the French Open in Paris twice (1961 and 1964) and the US Open in New York once (1965).

In 1966 he also triumphed at Wimbledon.

Born on May 10, 1938 in Madrid, Santana, who was called “Manolo” in his home country and was very popular, was the only Spaniard who could win at Wimbledon before the triumphs of Conchita Martínez (1994) and Rafael Nadal (2008) .

Manuel Santana is dead: tennis legend won four Grand Slam titles

Between 1980 and 1985 and between 1995 and 1999 he was also the captain of the Spanish Davis Cup team.

In addition to numerous other personalities from various fields, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also regretted the death of the former world tennis star.

The total of 72 tournament victories made Santana "a tennis legend and one of the best athletes in our country," wrote the socialist politician on Twitter. 

Boris Becker remembers Manuel Santana - grief in the tennis world

The Spanish tennis hero is also mourned in Germany.

Boris Becker posted a picture of Santana on his social networks.

He wrote: “This is how I remember Manolo Santana!

A smile on your face and a tennis racket in hand!

Rest in peace, my friend… ”Becker also added“ #legend ”.

He himself is one of Santana's heirs: Becker triumphed six times at major tournaments in the eighties and nineties: he won three wins at Wimbledon (1985, 1986 and 1989) and clenched his fist twice at the Australian Open (1991 and 1996) ) and at the US Open he was allowed to cheer once (1989).

Becker only lacks one French Open title in his collection.