Italian Court Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two
The tennis champion remains one of only three Italian men to secure a major singles title.
Italian sport is mourning a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at 92.
He carved his legacy by becoming the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's finest player until the rise of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation.
In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up 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 guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
