Italy's Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two
The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title.
The world of tennis mourns a true pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at 92.
The player made history by becoming the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy the following year.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's greatest ever player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation.
Alongside his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He holds a remarkable 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..."
