🔗 Share this article Italy's Court Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at Ninety-Two The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to win a major singles title. The world of tennis is mourning a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at 92. The player made history by becoming the initial Italian to secure 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 long held to be the country's greatest ever player until the rise of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set 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. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion remains among a select trio of Italian men to win a major singles title. The world of tennis is mourning a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at 92. The player made history by becoming the initial Italian to secure 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 long held to be the country's greatest ever player until the rise of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is mourning an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his two French Open successes, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set 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. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, stated: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."