The burning chapel of Manuel Santana, who died this Saturday at the age of 83, was opened on the central court of the Caja Mágica in Madrid, the court that bears the name of the tennis player.
The coffin with the mortal remains of the historic tennis player, who was transferred this Sunday from Marbella -where he died-, is located in the center of the ‘Manuel Santana’ court that has been enabled so that anyone who wants to say goodbye can access and will be open until 20:00 this afternoon.
A few minutes after noon the first citizens entered. Family and friends of Santana were present at this tennis venue from early in the morning to say goodbye to the Madrid native. In addition, other Spanish sports figures are expected to attend this farewell.
His widow, Claudia Rodríguez, confirmed to the media that Manolo Santana’s ashes will return to Marbella, as it was a wish of her husband.
Santana He was the first great figure in Spanish tennis to win a great tournament. He won four Grand Slam: two Roland Garros, in 1961 and 1964; a Wimbledon, in 1965; and a United States Open in 1966, the same year that it became number one in the world ranking.
After his retirement, he remained very attached to the world of sports and to the Marbella city, where in 1983 he took over the Puente Romano Tennis Club, which was renamed with his name, and from 1997 he directed the Manolo Santana Racquets Club.
In 2000, the Higher Sports Council awarded him the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sports Merit for his professional career.
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