Azzurri Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at the Age of 92
The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to claim a major singles title.
Italian sport mourns a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, left us at 92.
He carved his legacy by emerging as the initial Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, securing his maiden triumph at the French Open in 1959 and successfully defending the prestigious trophy in 1960.
With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was universally regarded as the nation's greatest ever player prior to the advent of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner.
"The sport in Italy is in mourning for an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," confirmed the Italian Tennis Federation.
Alongside his pair of French Open triumphs, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He set 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, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we say goodbye to Nicola Pietrangeli, a true legend of Italian tennis..."