🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92 The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a genuine legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by becoming the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's finest player until the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a genuine legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by becoming the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's finest player until the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."