Italian Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two
The tennis champion remains one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title.
Italian sport mourns a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at ninety-two.
The player made history by emerging as the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's most accomplished player prior to the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation.
Beyond his two French Open successes, 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 maiden title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
