Azzurri Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at 92
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title.
Italian sport mourns a true pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at ninety-two.
The player made history by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's most accomplished player until the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation.
In addition to his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
