🔗 Share this article Italian Court Icon Nicola Pietrangeli Dies at 92 The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy in 1960. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's most accomplished player prior to the emergence of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."
The tennis champion is one of only three Italian men to secure a Grand Slam singles title. Italian sport is mourning a authentic icon: Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time French Open champion, has died at the age of 92. The player made history by emerging as the pioneering Italian to secure a Grand Slam singles title, securing his initial triumph at the French Open in 1959 and retaining the coveted trophy in 1960. With a staggering 48 career titles, Pietrangeli was widely considered the country's most accomplished player prior to the emergence of current star and four-time major winner Jannik Sinner. "Italian tennis is grieving an icon. Nicola Pietrangeli, the sole Italian honored in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has died," announced the Italian Tennis Federation. Beyond his pair of French Open victories, Pietrangeli also finished as runner-up in Paris in both 1961 and 1964. He boasts a remarkable 164 matches played for Italy in the Davis Cup, winning 120 of them, and guided his country to its inaugural title in 1976. Officials of the Italian Open, where he was a double winner, commented: "It is with deep sadness that we bid farewell to Nicola Pietrangeli, a veritable legend of Italian tennis..."