The Most Famous

TENNIS PLAYERS from Spain

This page contains a list of the greatest Spanish Tennis Players. The pantheon dataset contains 1,569 Tennis Players, 70 of which were born in Spain. This makes Spain the birth place of the 8th most number of Tennis Players behind Czechia, and United Kingdom.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Spanish Tennis Players of all time. This list of famous Spanish Tennis Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Spanish Tennis Players.

1. Rafael Nadal (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 68.74, Rafael Nadal is the most famous Spanish Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 135 different languages on wikipedia.

Rafael Nadal Parera, 1st Marquess of Llevant de Mallorca, (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 209 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Nadal won 92 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including 22 major titles (among which a record 14 French Open titles), as well as 36 Masters titles and an Olympic gold medal. Nadal is one of three men to complete the career Golden Slam in singles. His 81 consecutive wins on clay constitute the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era. For nearly two decades, Nadal was a leading figure in men's tennis, alongside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, collectively known as the Big Three. Early in his career, Nadal became one of the most successful teenagers in ATP Tour history, reaching No. 2 in the world and winning 16 titles before turning 20, including his first major title at the 2005 French Open. Nadal became the world No. 1 for the first time in 2008 after defeating Federer in an historic Wimbledon final, his first major championship off clay. He followed with an Olympic singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. By defeating Djokovic in the 2010 US Open final, Nadal became the youngest man in the Open Era to achieve the career Grand Slam at 24, and the first man to win majors on three different surfaces in the same year. Nadal won major singles titles in 10 consecutive years from 2005 to 2014, and again in a four-year span from 2017 to 2020. He also won 11 doubles titles during his career, including an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Nadal surpassed his joint-record with Djokovic and Federer for the most Grand Slam men's singles titles at the 2022 Australian Open, and became one of four men in history to complete the double career Grand Slam in singles. Nadal retired from the sport after playing for Spain in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals. As a left-handed player, one of Nadal's main strengths was his forehand, delivered with heavy topspin. He frequently ranked among the tour leaders in return games, return points, and break points won. His game was especially well-suited for clay courts, on which came 63 of his 92 singles titles. Nadal won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award five times and was the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2011 and 2021. Time named Nadal one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022. Representing Spain, he won two Olympic gold medals, and led the nation to five Davis Cup titles. Nadal has also opened a tennis academy in Mallorca, and is an active philanthropist.

2. Manuel Santana (1938 - 2021)

With an HPI of 66.12, Manuel Santana is the 2nd most famous Spanish Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Manuel Santana Martínez (10 May 1938 – 11 December 2021), also known as Manolo Santana, was a Spanish tennis player. He was ranked as amateur world No. 1 in 1965 by Ned Potter and in 1966 by Lance Tingay and Sport In The USSR. 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.

3. Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 63.25, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario is the 3rd most famous Spanish Tennis Player. Her biography has been translated into 55 different languages.

Aránzazu Isabel María "Arantxa" Sánchez Vicario (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈɾanθaθw isaˈβel maˈɾi.a aˈɾantʃa ˈsantʃeθ βiˈkaɾjo]; born 18 December 1971) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 12 weeks, as well as the world No. 1 in women's doubles for 111 weeks. A defensive baseliner, Sánchez Vicario won 29 WTA Tour-level singles titles and 69 doubles titles, including 14 major titles: four in singles, six in women's doubles, and four in mixed doubles. She also won four Olympic medals and five Fed Cup titles representing Spain. In 1994, Sánchez Vicario was crowned the ITF World Champion of the year.

4. Andrés Gimeno (1937 - 2019)

With an HPI of 63.19, Andrés Gimeno is the 4th most famous Spanish Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Andrés Gimeno Tolaguera (3 August 1937 – 9 October 2019) was a Spanish tennis player. His greatest achievement came in 1972, when he won the French Open and became the oldest first-time Grand Slam champion in the Open era at 34 years of age.

5. Manuel Orantes (b. 1949)

With an HPI of 63.02, Manuel Orantes is the 5th most famous Spanish Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Manuel Orantes Corral (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈnwel oˈɾantes koˈral]; born 6 February 1949) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He won 36 career singles titles, including the 1975 US Open, defeating defending champion Jimmy Connors in the final. Orantes reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 2.

6. Conchita Martínez (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 61.64, Conchita Martínez is the 6th most famous Spanish Tennis Player. Her biography has been translated into 45 different languages.

Conchita Martínez Bernat (born 16 April 1972) is a Spanish former professional tennis player and current coach. She was the first Spaniard to win the women's singles title at Wimbledon, doing so in 1994. Martínez also was the runner-up at the 1998 Australian Open and the 2000 French Open. She reached a career-high ranking of world No. 2 in October 1995, and was in the year-end top 10 for nine years. Martínez won 33 singles and 13 doubles titles during her 18-year career, as well as three Olympic medals. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020. A five-time winner of the Fed Cup as a player, Martínez was the Spanish team captain from 2013 to 2017 and the Spanish Davis Cup team captain from 2015 to 2017, leading the Davis Cup team back into the top-tier World Group under her captaincy. She has also served as a part-time coach to Garbiñe Muguruza, guiding her to the 2017 Wimbledon Championships title, and was the full-time coach to Karolína Plíšková through 2018 and 2019. She began coaching Muguruza on a full-time basis in November 2019. Martínez won the 2021 WTA Coach of the Year award for her work coaching Muguruza. She is currently a coach to Mirra Andreeva.

7. Juan Carlos Ferrero (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 61.01, Juan Carlos Ferrero is the 7th most famous Spanish Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 52 different languages.

Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat (Spanish: [xwaŋ ˈkaɾlos feˈreɾo ðoˈnat]; born 12 February 1980) is a Spanish former professional tennis player and current coach. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Ferrero won 16 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including the 2003 French Open and four Masters events. He was also runner-up at the 2002 French Open and 2003 US Open. He was nicknamed "el Mosquito" for his speed and slender physical build. Ferrero retired from the sport in 2012. After his playing career, Ferrero took up directorship of the Ferrero Tennis Academy in Alicante, Villena, where he himself was trained. In July 2017, he began coaching Alexander Zverev. Their partnership ended after seven months due to differences between them. In 2019, Ferrero began coaching Carlos Alcaraz.

8. Carlos Moyá (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 60.09, Carlos Moyá is the 8th most famous Spanish Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 50 different languages.

Carlos Moyá Llompart (Spanish: [ˈkaɾlos moˈʝa ʎomˈpaɾt]; born 27 August 1976) is a Spanish former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Moyá won 20 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including the 1998 French Open, and was part of the victorious Spanish Davis Cup team in 2004. He was also the runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. After his playing career, Moyá served as Rafael Nadal's primary coach from 2016 to 2024.

9. Carlos Alcaraz (b. 2003)

With an HPI of 59.07, Carlos Alcaraz is the 9th most famous Spanish Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 54 different languages.

Carlos Alcaraz Garfia (Spanish: [ˈkaɾlos alkaˈɾaθ ˈɣaɾfja]; born 5 May 2003) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), including as the year-end No. 1 in 2022. Alcaraz has won 21 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including five major titles and seven ATP 1000 titles. Alcaraz began his professional career in 2018 at age 15. He broke into the top 100 in rankings in May 2021, and ended that year in the top 35 after reaching the US Open quarterfinals. In March 2022, he won his first ATP 1000 title at the Miami Open at the age of 18. Alcaraz won his first major title at the 2022 US Open, becoming the youngest man and the first male teenager in the Open Era to top the singles rankings, at 19 years, 4 months, and 6 days old. Finishing the year as the youngest year-end No. 1 in ATP ranking history, he was named the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year for his performance in the season. In 2023, Alcaraz claimed his second major title at Wimbledon, defeating seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in an epic final. In 2024, he won his third and fourth major titles at the French Open and Wimbledon, followed by a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. He claimed a fifth major title at the French Open in 2025 in another classic final, overturning a two-set deficit to top seed Jannik Sinner.

10. Sergi Bruguera (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 57.96, Sergi Bruguera is the 10th most famous Spanish Tennis Player. His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Sergi Bruguera i Torner (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsɛɾʒi βɾuˈɣeɾə i tuɾˈne]; born 16 January 1971) is a Spanish tennis coach and former professional player . He won consecutive men's singles titles at the French Open in 1993 and 1994, a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in men's singles and reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in August 1994. Bruguera is the only player to have a winning record against both Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. He won three of his five matches against Sampras: Bruguera leads 1–0 on hard court, 2–1 on clay, and Sampras leads 1–0 on carpet. In their only match, at the 2000 Barcelona Open, Bruguera lost only two games in defeating 18 year-old Federer. By number of games won, the match was Federer's worst loss in his entire career. In 2018 Bruguera became the captain of the Spain Davis Cup team. He was the coach of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga between 2019 and 2022, and then coached Alexander Zverev starting in May 2022 but they split ways in 2023 after the 2023 Madrid Open. He was the coach of Arthur Fils with Sébastien Grosjean from October 2023 until the end of the 2024 French Open.

People

Pantheon has 70 people classified as Spanish tennis players born between 1895 and 2003. Of these 70, 66 (94.29%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Spanish tennis players include Rafael Nadal, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, and Manuel Orantes. The most famous deceased Spanish tennis players include Manuel Santana, Andrés Gimeno, and Manuel Alonso Areizaga. As of April 2024, 70 new Spanish tennis players have been added to Pantheon including Rafael Nadal, Manuel Santana, and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.