🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at the Age of 92 The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by becoming the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy the following year. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's most accomplished player prior to the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his two French Open triumphs, 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, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at ninety-two. He carved his legacy by becoming the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy the following year. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the country's most accomplished player prior to the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. In addition to his two French Open triumphs, 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, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."