🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92 The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's most accomplished player prior to the advent of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a record 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 double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's most accomplished player prior to the advent of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a record 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 double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."