🔗 Share this article Italian Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at 92 The tennis champion remains one of only three Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at 92. The player made history by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy the following year. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's most accomplished player until the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation. Beyond his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion remains one of only three Italian men to secure a major singles title. Italian sport says goodbye to a true legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at 92. The player made history by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy the following year. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's most accomplished player until the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," stated the national federation. Beyond his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and spearheaded his country to its maiden title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."