Italian Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two
Nicola Pietrangeli remains among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Italian sport says goodbye to a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at 92.
He carved his legacy by becoming the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's most accomplished player until the advent of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the national federation.
Beyond his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
