🔗 Share this article Italian Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92 The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by becoming the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's most accomplished player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is mourning an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. Alongside his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by becoming the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's most accomplished player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is mourning an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. Alongside his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."