Azzurri Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at 92
Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title.
The world of tennis is mourning a genuine legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at 92.
Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's most accomplished player prior to the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the Italian Tennis Federation.
Beyond his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976.
Organisers 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..."
