Azzurri Court Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at Ninety-Two
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title.
Italian sport mourns a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at ninety-two.
The player made history by becoming the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later.
With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's most accomplished player until the advent of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the national federation.
In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
