Italian Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at 92
Nicola Pietrangeli remains among a select trio of Italian men to claim a major singles title.
The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92.
The player made history by becoming the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's finest player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation.
Alongside his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its first title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event 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..."
