Italian Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92
The tennis champion is among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title.
The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92.
Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's most accomplished player until the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation.
Alongside his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its first title in 1976.
Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
