[7] He won the US Open in 1965 and, before winning Wimbledon the following year, he was quoted as saying "grass is just for cows", favouring artificial surfaces.

[8][9] Santana was born in Madrid, and began his career as a ball boy and "picked up" the game.

[10] In 1965, Santana led Spain to unexpected victory over the U.S. in the Davis Cup, and he became a national hero.

He also captured the doubles title in Barcelona that year when he teamed with Lew Hoad to defeat Laver/Andrés Gimeno.

[14] At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Santana won the gold medal in singles, but tennis was only a demonstration sport at that time.

[13] Santana later was captain of the Spanish Davis Cup team twice, once in the 1980s and again for four and a half years in the mid-1990s, until he was dismissed in 1999.

[16] Santana appeared at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships in London in the Royal Box to watch the men's final, which was between his fellow countryman Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (who had become world No.

[24] Rafael Nadal reacted to his death by posting on Twitter, "the only other Spanish man to win Wimbledon.

Spanish King Felipe VI also reacted by posting on Twitter, "there are people who become legends and make a country great.