🔗 Share this article Azzurri Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player until the rise 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 International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. He carved his legacy by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960. With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player until the rise 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 International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."