🔗 Share this article Azzurri Tennis Great Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at Ninety-Two Nicola Pietrangeli stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a major singles title. The world of tennis mourns a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
Nicola Pietrangeli stands as among a select trio of Italian men to win a major singles title. The world of tennis mourns a genuine pioneer: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at 92. Pietrangeli etched his name by becoming the pioneering Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at Roland Garros in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy the following year. With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the nation's greatest ever player prior to the emergence of current world number two and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "The sport in Italy is mourning an legend. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian enrolled in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has passed away," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. Alongside his two French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He set a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its first title in 1976. Organisers of the Italian Open, an event where he was a double winner, commented: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."