Italy's Court Great Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at the Age of 92
The tennis champion stands as one of only three Italian men to claim a Grand Slam singles title.
Italian sport mourns a true icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, left us at 92.
The player made history by emerging as the initial Italian to win a Grand Slam singles title, earning his first triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy in 1960.
With a remarkable 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's finest player prior to the advent of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is grieving an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation.
In addition to his pair of French Open successes, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964.
He set a record 164 matches played for Italy in the prestigious team competition, securing victories in 120 of them, and led his country to its inaugural title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, 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..."
