🔗 Share this article Italy's Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at ninety-two. The player made history by becoming the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy in 1960. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's greatest ever player prior to the rise of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to 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 prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at ninety-two. The player made history by becoming the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy in 1960. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's greatest ever player prior to the rise of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to 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 prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."