Azzurri Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at the Age of 92
The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title.
The world of tennis mourns a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at ninety-two.
The player made history by becoming the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player until the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the national federation.
In addition to his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its first title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
