Italian Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92
Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to claim a major singles title.
Italian sport says goodbye to a genuine legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at 92.
The player made history by emerging as the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's most accomplished player prior to the advent of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is in mourning for an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation.
In addition to his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
