Azzurri Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at 92
The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title.
The world of tennis mourns a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at ninety-two.
The player made history by becoming 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 a year later.
With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's greatest ever player prior to the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation.
Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
