🔗 Share this article Azzurri Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at the Age of 92 The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at 92. The player made history by emerging as the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's greatest ever player until the advent 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 passed away," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final 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 inaugural 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 bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at 92. The player made history by emerging as the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's greatest ever player until the advent 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 passed away," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final 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 inaugural 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 bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."