🔗 Share this article Italy's Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at Ninety-Two The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a true icon: 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, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy in 1960. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's most accomplished player until the rise of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a record 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, where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a true icon: 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, securing his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy in 1960. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the country's most accomplished player until the rise of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a record 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, where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."