🔗 Share this article Italy's Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at 92 The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis is mourning a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's finest player prior to the rise of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis is mourning a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's finest player prior to the rise of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."