Italian Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at 92
Nicola Pietrangeli is one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title.
The world of tennis says goodbye to a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at ninety-two.
He carved his legacy by emerging as the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy the following year.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as 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 in mourning for an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation.
Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a record 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.
Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
