🔗 Share this article Italy's Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92 The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's most accomplished player prior to the advent of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside 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 Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's most accomplished player prior to the advent of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside 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 Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."