🔗 Share this article Italian Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to claim a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's finest player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an titan. 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 was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to claim a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's finest player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an titan. 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 was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."