🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Has Died at 92 The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to secure a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy a year later. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's finest player prior to the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation. Beyond his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to secure a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy a year later. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's finest player prior to the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation. Beyond his two French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, where he was a two-time winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."