Spain and Argentina will contest the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, July 19.
The two sporting powerhouses will go head-to-head in what promises to be a thrilling match at the MetLife Stadium.
But regardless of what happens on Sunday, Spain and Argentina have more than just footballing talent to be proud of.
Here are the 18 players from the two nations who have won Grand Slam singles titles in tennis.
Every Grand Slam singles champion from Spain and Argentina
Spain
12 Spanish players have won Grand Slam singles titles, nine men, and three women.
Manuel Santana – 4
Manuel Santana was the first Spaniard to win a major title, winning the French Open (French Championships) in 1961.
He won again in 1964, before emerging victorious at the US Open in 1965 and at Wimbledon in 1966.
All four of Santana’s Grand Slam wins came before the start of the Open Era, although that has hardly dented his legacy.
Santana rightfully took his place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1984.
Aged 83, Santana passed away in 2021.
Andres Gimeno – 1
Andres Gimeno made tennis history when he won his one and only Grand Slam title at the 1972 French Open, becoming the oldest first-time major winner at 34.
He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009 and passed 10 years later in Barcelona, the city where he was born.
Manuel Orantes – 1
Manuel Orantes lost the first Grand Slam final he played, failing to covert a two-set to love lead against Bjorn Borg at the 1974 French Open.
Refusing to let history repeat itself, when Orantes led Jimmy Connors 6-4, 6-3, in the US Open final a year later, he finished the job, winning the final set 6-3, to take the title.
Arantxa Sanchez – 4
Arantxa Sanchez became the first Spanish woman to win a Grand Slam singles title when she won the 1989 French Open.
The Spaniard spent 12 weeks as world number one during her career and won another three major titles (1994 French Open, 1994 US Open, and 1998 French Open).
Sanchez also lost eight major finals and won an Olympic silver medal.
Sergi Bruguera – 2
Sergi Bruguera continued the Spanish tradition of winning French Open titles, lifting the trophy in 1993 and 1994.
He retired in 2002 and went on to coach the likes of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Alexander Zverev, and Arthur Fils.
Conchita Martinez – 1
Modern fans may know her best as Mirra Andreeva’s coach, but Conchita Martinez was a legend in her own right.
Martinez won the first Grand Slam final she played, defeating Martina Navratilova to take the Wimbledon title in 1994.
She doubled her Grand Slam tally (as a coach), 32 years later, when Andreeva won the 2026 French Open.
Carlos Moya – 1
Like Martinez, Carlos Moya’s coaching legacy may well have surpassed his own tennis career.
18 years after winning the French Open in 1998, Moya joined Rafael Nadal’s team, helping him win eight major titles.
Albert Costa – 1
Albert Costa won his sole major title at the 2002 French Open, having entered the competition as the 20th seed.
The title was his 12th and last as a professional, and he retired from tennis four years later.
Juan Carlos Ferrero – 1
One year after losing to Costa in the 2002 French Open final, Ferrero had his moment in the sun, beating Martin Verkerk in the 2003 final.
He, like others on this list, enjoyed further major success as a coach, guiding Carlos Alcaraz to the first six of his seven major titles.
Rafael Nadal – 22
Nadal is undoubtedly the greatest Spanish player of all time.
In fact, if not for a certain Serb, he could well have been considered the greatest tennis player of all time.
Nadal won 22 Grand Slam singles titles during his time on tour, completing the Career Golden Slam in the process.
The Spanish legend won an unthinkable 14 French Open titles, two Australian Open titles, two Wimbledon titles, and four US Open titles.
Nadal’s clay-court record is exceptional, and he will remain the benchmark for years to come.
Garbine Muguruza – 2
Garbine Muguruza became the third Spanish woman to win a Grand Slam singles title in 2016 when she defeated Serena Williams in the French Open final.
She then beat the other Williams sister, Venus Williams, in the 2017 Wimbledon final to double her major tally.
Carlos Alcaraz – 7
Some Spaniards worried about who might replace Nadal when he retired from tennis, but their concerns were quickly eased by the arrival of Alcaraz.
Alcaraz is only 23, but has already completed the Career Grand Slam, winning seven major titles.
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And while he hasn’t played either of the last two Grand Slam events due to injury, many expect him to continue challenging for titles when he returns ahead of the US Open this fall.
Argentina
Argentina have produced eight fewer Grand Slam champions than Spain.
Guillermo Vilas – 4
The first Argentinian Grand Slam champion just so happens to be the greatest player the nation ever produced.
Guillermo Vilas won four Grand Slam titles between 1977 and 1979 (1977 French Open, 1977 US Open, 1978 Australian Open, 1979 Australian Open).
He reached a career-high of number two, although many believe he was wrongly denied at least seven weeks as world number one.
Gabriela Sabatini – 1
Gabriela Sabatini is the only Argentinian woman to have ever won a major singles title.
The former world number three was one of the most consistent performers in Grand Slam history, reaching 15 consecutive quarter-finals, during which she won the 1990 US Open.
Sabatini also won the WTA Finals twice, in 1988 and 1994.
Gaston Gaudio – 1
Gaston Gaudio only ever went past the fourth round of a Grand Slam once, when he won the 2004 French Open.
The Argentine wasn’t seeded heading into the tournament and won the final, despite trailing by two sets to love and saving Championship points against his countryman, Guillermo Coria.
To this day, Gaudio’s win remains one of the most shocking in Grand Slam history.
Juan Martin del Potro – 1
Anyone who watched Juan Martin del Potro will tell you that he should have won more than just one Grand Slam.
Del Potro ended Roger Federer’s five-year unbeaten run at the US Open to claim the 2009 trophy, but failed to add to his tally.
He never lived up to his full potential, as injuries took their toll on a truly generational talent.
Del Potro officially retired in 2024, but only played 21 matches after losing the 2018 US Open final.
