π Share this article Italy's Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport mourns a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at 92. The player made history by emerging as the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at Roland Garros 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 greatest ever player prior to the advent of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation. In addition to his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport mourns a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at 92. The player made history by emerging as the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at Roland Garros 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 greatest ever player prior to the advent of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation. In addition to his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."