🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92 Nicola Pietrangeli remains one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's greatest ever player prior to the rise of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. In addition to his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli remains one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's greatest ever player prior to the rise of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. In addition to his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."