Italian Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at the Age of 92
The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title.
Italian sport is mourning a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at 92.
The player made history by becoming the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy in 1960.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player prior to the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation.
Beyond his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 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 inaugural title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
