🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away 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 true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. The player made history by becoming the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's finest player prior to the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli remains one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. The player made history by becoming the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's finest player prior to the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is in mourning for an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the national federation. In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."