Italy's Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92
The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Italian sport says goodbye to a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at the age of 92.
The player made history by becoming the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy in 1960.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's most accomplished player until the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation.
Beyond 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 maiden title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
