Azzurri Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at 92
Nicola Pietrangeli remains one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title.
Italian sport says goodbye to a true pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at the age of 92.
He carved his legacy by emerging as the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's most accomplished player until the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the national federation.
In addition to his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
