🔗 Share this article Italy's Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to secure a Grand Slam 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. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player prior to the advent of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist 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 first 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..."
The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to secure a Grand Slam 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. Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the initial Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's finest player prior to the advent of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist 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 first 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..."