🔗 Share this article Italy's Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport is mourning a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's finest player prior to the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, 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..."
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport is mourning a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's finest player prior to the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, 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..."