Azzurri Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two
The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title.
Italian sport mourns a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at 92.
The player made history by becoming the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy the following year.
With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's most accomplished player until the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the national federation.
In addition to his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
