Italian Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at 92
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 ninety-two.
The player made history by becoming the first Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's greatest ever player until the rise of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is in mourning for an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation.
In addition to his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its first title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
