Azzurri Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two
The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title.
Italian sport is mourning a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at ninety-two.
The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy the following year.
With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's finest player prior to the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation.
Beyond his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
