Italy's Court Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two
The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Italian sport says goodbye to a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92.
The player made history by becoming the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's most accomplished player prior to the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is in mourning for an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation.
Beyond his two 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, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its maiden title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
