🔗 Share this article Azzurri Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at 92 Nicola Pietrangeli stands as among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. The world of tennis mourns a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy the following year. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's finest player until the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as among a select trio of Italian men to secure a major singles title. The world of tennis mourns a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy the following year. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's finest player until the rise of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also was the finalist in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964. He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a two-time winner, said: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."