🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two Nicola Pietrangeli remains one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by becoming the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's greatest ever player until the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced 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 boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli remains one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by becoming the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's greatest ever player until the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced 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 boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."