Italy's Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a major singles title.
The world of tennis mourns a genuine legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at 92.
He carved his legacy by becoming the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's greatest ever player prior to the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation.
Beyond his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
