Italian Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at 92
The tennis champion remains one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title.
The world of tennis says goodbye to a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92.
The player made history by becoming the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy the following year.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's most accomplished player until the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation.
Beyond his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up 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 led his country to its first title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
