đź”— Share this article Azzurri Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at 92 The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis is mourning a true pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy a year later. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's greatest ever player prior to the advent of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. Beyond his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis is mourning a true pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy a year later. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's greatest ever player prior to the advent of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. Beyond his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."