🔗 Share this article Italy's Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92 The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by emerging as the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's greatest ever player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his pair of French Open successes, 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, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by emerging as the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's greatest ever player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his pair of French Open successes, 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, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."