🔗 Share this article Italy's Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at 92 The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a genuine legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy in 1960. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's finest player prior to the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation. Alongside his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a genuine legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy in 1960. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's finest player prior to the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation. Alongside his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."