🔗 Share this article Italian Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to win a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at ninety-two. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy in 1960. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's finest player until the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. Alongside his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness 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 win a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at ninety-two. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy in 1960. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's finest player until the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. Alongside his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."