Italian Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at 92
The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to win a Grand Slam singles title.
The world of tennis mourns a authentic pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at ninety-two.
The player made history by becoming the pioneering Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy in 1960.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's finest player until the advent of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the national federation.
Alongside his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He holds a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
