Azzurri Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92
Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to claim a major singles title.
Italian sport says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at ninety-two.
He carved his legacy by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's most accomplished player until the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the national federation.
Alongside his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
