🔗 Share this article Italian Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at 92 Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to win a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's most accomplished player prior to the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to win a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's most accomplished player prior to the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."