🔗 Share this article Italy's Tennis Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at the Age of 92 Nicola Pietrangeli remains one of only three Italian men to claim a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden 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 country's most accomplished player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, 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..."
Nicola Pietrangeli remains one of only three Italian men to claim a major singles title. The world of tennis says goodbye to a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at the age of 92. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his maiden 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 country's most accomplished player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, 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..."