🔗 Share this article Italian Court Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at Ninety-Two The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending 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 emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending 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 emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."