Italy's Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at 92
Nicola Pietrangeli remains one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title.
The world of tennis says goodbye to a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at 92.
The player made history by emerging as the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the coveted 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 star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation.
Beyond his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
