Italy's Court Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at the Age of 92
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title.
Italian sport is mourning a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at ninety-two.
The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy the following year.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's finest player prior to the rise of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation.
Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, 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..."
