Italian Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two
Nicola Pietrangeli remains among a select trio of Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title.
The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at 92.
Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's greatest ever player until the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation.
In addition to his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
