🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's most accomplished player prior to the rise of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the national federation. Beyond his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's most accomplished player prior to the rise of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the national federation. Beyond his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."