In this file photo taken on February 3, 2018 former Spanish tennis player Manolo Santana attends the tennis doubles match between Spain's Feliciano Lopez and Pablo Carreno against British Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot of the first round of the Davis Cup World Group between Spain and Great Britain at the Puente Romano tennis club in Marbella. (JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)

MADRID - Spanish tennis legend Manolo Santana died on Saturday in his residence in Marbella (Southern Spain) at the age of 83.

The Mutua Madrid Open, which has Santana as the honorary President, confirmed the news of the death of one of the most important Spanish sportsmen of the 20th century.

Santana was a pioneer in Spanish tennis, winning the French Open (Roland Garros) in 1961 and 1964, the US Open in 1965 and Wimbledon in 1966, as well as the Doubles at the French Open in 1963.

Coming from a humble family at a time when tennis was considered a sport only for the upper classes in Spain, Santana became a stalwart of the country's Davis Cup team, amassing a 69-17 win-loss record in singles between 1958 and 1973

Coming from a humble family at a time when tennis was considered a sport only for the upper classes in Spain, Santana became a stalwart of the country's Davis Cup team, amassing a 69-17 win-loss record in singles between 1958 and 1973.

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He also won the tournament at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico, where tennis was a demonstration event.

Santana began his career as a ball boy at a Madrid tennis club and was supported by a member of the club to carry on playing tennis.

He won the first of eight Spanish Championships titles in 1958. In all, he won 72 singles titles, the last one coming in Barcelona in 1970.

Juan Antonio Samaranch, the late president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), wrote in his memoirs: "(Santana) not only gave glory days to Spanish sport, such as his victories at Wimbledon and Roland Garros and his historic performances in the Davis Cup, but also was also the promoter of the Davis Cup and thousands of tennis courts and tens of thousands of players in our country."

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Fellow Spaniard and 20-times Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal tweeted: "I have just received the terrible news of the passing of our great Manolo Santana.

"As I have said many times in the past: thank you very much for what you did for our country and for marking the path of so many. You were always a reference, a friend and a person close to everyone."

The Spanish royal household tweeted: "There are some people who become legends and make a country great. Manolo Santana has been and always will be one of them."

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With Reuters inputs