🔗 Share this article Azzurri Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92 The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy in 1960. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's finest player prior to the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 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 maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy in 1960. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's finest player prior to the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 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 maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."