Italy's Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at 92
The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to secure a major singles title.
Italian sport is mourning a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at the age of 92.
Pietrangeli etched his name by emerging as the first Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy in 1960.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's most accomplished player until the rise of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is mourning an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian inducted in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation.
Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
