🔗 Share this article Italy's Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at 92 The tennis champion remains one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's finest player until the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 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 maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion remains one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's finest player until the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 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 maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."