🔗 Share this article Azzurri Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at 92 Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport is mourning a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at the age of 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's most accomplished player until the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation. Alongside his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport is mourning a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at the age of 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's most accomplished player until the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation. Alongside his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."