Manuel Santana wurde am 10 Mai 1938 in Spanien geboren. Er war mit Claudia Inés Rodriguez, Otti Glanzielus, Mila Ximénez und María Fernanda González-Dopeso verheiratet. Er starb am 11 Dezember 2021 in Spanien.
After retiring from playing, he became a coach and was captain of Spain's Davis Cup teams in the 1980s and 1990s. He was a mentor to younger players, including Rafael Nadal.
