🔗 Share this article Italy's Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at 92 Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. The player made history by becoming the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial 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 nation's greatest ever player until the advent of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. The player made history by becoming the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial 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 nation's greatest ever player until the advent of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."