Azzurri Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92
The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title.
The world of tennis says goodbye to a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at the age of 92.
The player made history by becoming the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy the following year.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player prior to the rise of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation.
In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 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.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
