🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at the Age of 92 The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to claim a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at ninety-two. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player prior to the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the national federation. In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to claim a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at ninety-two. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player prior to the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the national federation. In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."