🔗 Share this article Italian Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. The player made history by becoming the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's greatest ever player until the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the national federation. Alongside his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double 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 win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. The player made history by becoming the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's greatest ever player until the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the national federation. Alongside his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."