🔗 Share this article Italy's Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at 92 The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. The world of tennis is mourning a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy the following year. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's finest player prior to the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the national federation. Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its first title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. The world of tennis is mourning a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy the following year. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's finest player prior to the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the national federation. Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its first title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."