🔗 Share this article Italy's Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at 92 Nicola Pietrangeli stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's finest player prior to the advent of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the national federation. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's finest player prior to the advent of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the national federation. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."