Italy's Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two
The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title.
Italian sport mourns a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at 92.
Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's most accomplished player until the rise of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation.
Beyond his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
