Italy's Court Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92
The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to secure a major singles title.
Italian sport says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at 92.
The player made history by becoming the first Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's most accomplished player until the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the national federation.
Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
