Azzurri Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at 92
Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title.
Italian sport mourns a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at 92.
Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy in 1960.
With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's finest player prior to the emergence of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is in mourning for an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the national federation.
Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its first title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
