🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a major singles title. Italian sport mourns a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by becoming the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player prior to 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 inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened 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 win a major singles title. Italian sport mourns a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by becoming the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player prior to 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 inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."