Italy's Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Passes Away at 92
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title.
Italian sport is mourning a genuine icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at 92.
He carved his legacy by becoming the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, achieving his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and successfully defending the coveted trophy a year later.
With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's finest player prior to the rise of current world number two and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," stated the Italian Tennis Federation.
In addition to his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also reached the final in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He holds a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, securing victories in 120 of them, and guided his country to its maiden title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
