🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92 Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title. Italian sport mourns a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later. With a remarkable 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. "Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts 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. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness 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 major singles title. Italian sport mourns a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later. With a remarkable 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. "Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts 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. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."