🔗 Share this article Italian Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at Ninety-Two Nicola Pietrangeli is one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the first Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's greatest ever player prior to the emergence of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the national federation. Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli is one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the first Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's greatest ever player prior to the emergence of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the national federation. Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."