Azzurri Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92
The tennis champion remains one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title.
The world of tennis mourns a true pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at 92.
Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later.
With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's greatest ever player prior to the advent of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the national federation.
Beyond his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its first title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
