🔗 Share this article Italian Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92 The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to claim a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player until the emergence of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to claim a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player until the emergence of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."