🔗 Share this article Azzurri Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at the Age of 92 The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. The player made history by emerging as the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy the following year. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's most accomplished player until the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. The player made history by emerging as the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy the following year. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's most accomplished player until the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."