🔗 Share this article Italy's Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at Ninety-Two Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at 92. He carved his legacy by becoming the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy the following year. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player prior to the emergence of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed 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 record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli is among a select trio of Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport mourns a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at 92. He carved his legacy by becoming the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy the following year. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player prior to the emergence of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed 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 record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."