🔗 Share this article Italian Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92 The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's greatest ever player until the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation. Beyond his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's greatest ever player until the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation. Beyond his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."