Azzurri Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92
Nicola Pietrangeli remains among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title.
Italian sport mourns a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at ninety-two.
The player made history by becoming the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy the following year.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's greatest ever player until the advent of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the Italian Tennis Federation.
Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
