Italian Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two
The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to claim a major singles title.
The world of tennis says goodbye to a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at the age of 92.
Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy the following year.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's finest player until the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the national federation.
In addition to his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
