Azzurri Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92
The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title.
The world of tennis mourns a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at 92.
He carved his legacy by becoming the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's finest player until the emergence of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation.
Alongside his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
