🔗 Share this article Azzurri Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at the Age of 92 Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player prior to the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis 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. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, 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 two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player prior to the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis 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. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, 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 two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."