Azzurri Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as among a select trio of Italian men to claim a major singles title.
Italian sport says goodbye to a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92.
The player made history by becoming the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy the following year.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's most accomplished player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation.
Beyond his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
