🔗 Share this article Azzurri Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at the Age of 92 Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport mourns a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at 92. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's greatest ever player until the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the national federation. In addition to his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport mourns a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at 92. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's greatest ever player until the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the national federation. In addition to his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."