Italy's Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92
The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title.
The world of tennis mourns a genuine legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at 92.
He carved his legacy by becoming the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's finest player prior to the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation.
In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its first title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
