🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at the Age of 92 The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by becoming the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player until the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by becoming the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player until the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."