Italian Tennis Legend Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at Ninety-Two
The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to win a major singles title.
Italian sport is mourning a authentic legend: Nicola Pietrangeli, a double French Open champion, passed away at 92.
He carved his legacy by becoming the first Italian to capture a Grand Slam singles title, earning his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the prestigious trophy in 1960.
With an impressive 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was long held to be the nation's most accomplished player until the emergence of current star and four-times major winner Jannik Sinner.
"Italian tennis is mourning an titan. Nicola Pietrangeli, the only Italian honored in the World Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the national federation.
In addition to his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in the years 1961 and 1964.
He boasts a record 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and led his country to its maiden title in 1976.
Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, said: "We are profoundly saddened that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
