Italy's Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title.
Italian sport mourns a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at 92.
The player made history by becoming the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy a year later.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player prior to the emergence of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the national federation.
In addition to his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."