🔗 Share this article Azzurri Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92 Nicola Pietrangeli remains among a select trio of Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at the age of 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player prior to the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli remains among a select trio of Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at the age of 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player prior to the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."